100 Feels
by StarShineDC
Summary: Another Pinky and the Brain themed 100x100. But this time it features feelings! Contains OC, slash, het, romance, family, death, tears, and all the feels.
1. 1, 5

****Sooooo... yep. Another 100x100, lol. PatB theme!

A lot more of this leans more towards the OC-verse Skimmingsurfaces and I have created for the boys, so if you have any questions feel free to ask

And this is also a list found by Skimmingsurfaces! I stole it, lol

And if you want to go and see what she's done with this list, GO. GO NOW!

* * *

**The Emotions List  
**

001. Birth (152)

So much. They'd seen so much of it, so many babies. And several had come from this machine, including their first. Brain sought out his husband's hand, scanning the encoding for the fourth time. Several babies from one machine had resulted in a mishap more than once... a tradition that had also begun with their first.

But he only had time to squeeze his husband's hand before being swept up by someone far younger, though the eyes were the same. The lanky mouse who looked so much like his grandmother rubbed his nose enthusiastically to his grandfather's. "I love you, grandpa! Thank you!" he chirped before depositing him back in front of the machine. He latched onto his grandmother instead, the pair of them sharing bright blue eyes and giggles.

And when Brain shook his head and hit that final button, he passed the blue eyes on to his great-granddaughter. And smiled.

002. Enthusiasm (142)

It was tight, too much so, and the megalomaniac grimaced. But he didn't try and pull away, not this time, because the tight embrace came with kisses peppered over his expanded cranium. "I love you!" his husband announced between kisses. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

It was an infectious sort of enthusiasm, the smaller mouse slowly returning the embrace as his lips curved. "Yes, yes, my dear. You're welcome."

"Oh, Brain! _Narf_!" Giggling, he began pressing light kisses to his lover's happy little smile, his tail wagging delightedly behind him. "How did you know?"

He thought of the multitude of Denny's menus that had made their way into their bedroom over the past several days and rolled his eyes. He glanced over his shoulder to the disgusting, plastic takeaway containers that held their brunch in bed. "We'll call it a guess."

003. Love (135)

It was a terrifying thing to ponder. But as his only friend was walking away, waving at him with those tears in his eyes, it was all he could ponder. He wanted to walk closer, chase him down, beg for a second chance. He would do anything short of trading places with him. He would even join him here, for all eternity, if that meant staying together. _Don't go!_ his mind wailed. _Don't go! Don't let him go!_

His voice betrayed him (_"Well... You have a nice time being tortured for all eternity... okay?"_) and his body betrayed him (he stood there waving like an imbecile, not chasing him down), but his eyes held the truth. They leaked, tears hitting the burning floor and evaporating into steam. And he could only think, _I love him_.

004. Hate (198)

It was ridiculous. He was a baby and they gave him all the affection he could possibly want. More than he wanted, apparently. Because he would wriggle, whine and squeak his displeasure when they held him and he didn't want to be held. He would pat at their faces, an early sign of bopping tendencies, and grumble until he was allowed to roam free.

So different from their other three. Even Roman had reached for a hug, to be picked up. Cici had always wanted to be swept up and kissed and cuddled. And Bella, his own twin, tended to melt into a purring puddle when there was so much as a sign of her being snuggled.

But not him. No, never him. And Brain wondered - foolishly, ridiculously - if somehow their baby boy hated him. So he held and snuggled more, learning the secrets and tricks that would leave the baby pliant and purring, reaching to hold rather than to bat away, and he silently whispered the words when no one else was around to hear, "Please don't hate me." And maybe he wouldn't if it was said enough. "I love you. Please don't hate me."

005. Triumph (300)

It came too late in some ways. It hadn't been able to save his father. It hadn't been able to prevent the slide, the mental regression from megalomaniacal genius to blank, dim child. It had torn him to pieces watching the sharp gaze he'd grown up with, had inherited, become slowly dulled by time. And he'd worked so hard to keep it at bay, to stop it, to cure it.

When it had reached the point when The Brain hadn't been able to remember to take the serum that was slowing the progression, Cyan had tried to force it on him. But his confused father had cried, and the son just hadn't had it in him to attempt it again. It had narrowed his timeframe significantly, but he'd been certain he would be able to cure it. He'd had Theodore and Rodoric to assist him, the younger of the two doctors turning his focus and studies specifically on the mind in order to hone in and sharpen his expertise on the subject that would hopefully save his great-uncle.

But he was gone now and, for a little while, so was Cyan's desire to continue working. It wasn't until he'd looked into those sharp eyes again on a television monitor, his videotaped will imploring him to continue working, that the former emperor's son had trudged back into their lab and thrown himself into the work again.

And now they were through. He had the results in his hands of months of testing and every single subject was cured. He looked skyward, his triumph battling with the sorrowful knowledge that it hadn't come in time. But it _had_ come and it would never affect another member of his family.

The thought enabled triumph to win and a slight smile curved his lips.

* * *

Next time:

Feel, Wrecked, Soft, Cold, Without


	2. 6, 10

I feel like I should explain six, lol. If you haven't read skimmingsurfaces latest chapter of her 100 list, WHY NOT?!

Also, she explains who Bay and Pinny are, lol. They are *drum roll* Pinky and Brain's reincarnations. They're also technically third cousins, though not by blood as Bay's great-grandmother was PatB's adopted daughter, Cici. Who is in prompt 8 as a baby XD

You'll be reading about these two a few times throughout this list as I dedicated quite a few prompts to them, lol

And 9, in this OC-Verse Brain dies from Alzheimer's. There are a few prompts dedicated to that as well because there are so many feels attached to it

And then 10. 10 makes me so sad. Feta's so young when he goes :c He's one of the triplets born to Brie, Brain's sister and my OC. He dies of a sudden brain aneurysm

* * *

006. Feel (355)

Bay clasped his hands behind his back, taking a rare moment of solitude from his husband to not do his work. He didn't know what had urged him to come here, nor did he know why he'd bothered to follow the instinctive tug. He so rarely did, after all.

But he had and was now standing in the shade of two flower bushes, tangled eternally. They should be dead, such differing species growing so close together. They shouldn't thrive and flourish as they did, but something told him that they always would. They were together just as the two mice were who had been buried just below where he stood.

Except... They were also still alive. Bay could feel it in himself, in the way the name "Pinky" spilled from him just as easily as "Pinny" did when he spoke to his dearest friend and husband. He could feel it in the deja vu that would come whenever he did or said something, even in the thoughts he would have.

So, really, he knew he was standing before his own grave. He knew that his previous self had decided to return. Why he'd chosen to do so after only two years was beyond him, though. Almost. He was himself, after all. He could feel it. He could feel the verve for life, the joy in ruling the world. He could experience loving his grandmother and great-aunt as those relations as well as, bizarrely enough, his daughters. His father was just his father, his past self and current one vastly in love with the unique experience of having one. The same went for his mother.

There were moments, though, where he keenly felt the absence of a sister. Where he would be about to say something particularly scathing to one of his little cousins and something in his mind would call him a shmuk and silence him.

He frowned, reaching out when a small flower fell into his palm. He brushed the white and pink petals with a fingertip, scowling at it. "Alright," he grumbled quietly, "I'll do it. We'll have a baby." Meddling past lives.

007. Wrecked (156)

He was a mess. A squeaky, babbling mess. Moans spilled out, a jumble of words without coherency were groaned. And the songs were sung, high and squeaky. So much could be said with a single squeak, here in the world of instinct. A single noise could express love, need, praise, and warning all at once.

Such a sound escaped, the warning being that he was too close. Too close, too soon. Again. As always. But he wanted this to last; why wouldn't his body ever allow this to last? The dazed whine that was wrung from him was from his need for it to last as much as it was from his need to let go.

But then long talented fingers wrapped around his length and he was seeing stars. Back bowing, head pressing against the pillows, Brain's seed spilled between them until he was emptied and far too blissful to care about his current state.

008. Soft (311)

Roman had felt this way. Before the effects of the cloning machine took their toll on him and accelerated his growth. But before he'd suddenly grown, he'd felt like this. His fresh white fur soft and warm, encouraging gentle pets and soothing words. He hadn't had either for Roman, having firmly categorized him as an experiment and nothing more. And he'd grown so quickly, there had been no real push for him to alter his behavior, to treat him as more of a son and less of a clone.

With this little mouse, things were far more difficult. With her wide pink eyes, too large for her baby face, and her babbled, stilted speech... It was difficult not to look at her. And once his gaze was captured, his fingers would itch. Because he knew, he just knew, that the fur would be just as soft as it looked and that the little girl hadn't had nearly enough of the required attention it needed in order to retain maximum softness.

Occasionally, there weren't enough other distractions to keep him occupied and away. Occasionally, he had to step closer just to make sure Pinky's daily brushing was enough for her. It always was, but once the soft pets had started, he needed to pick her up. He needed to hold and cradle, pet and coddle.

"Ba!" she would chirp if she was awake, their noses touching in the lightest of ways.

"Yes, Cici," he murmured, trying to ignore the buzz of pride. She was so clever, but he always had to remind himself that it wasn't his or Pinky's doing. She'd been raised to this point by someone else. This soft little angel was the product of someone else.

He had to remind himself of that often or it would've been too hard to set the soft little bundle back down again.

009. Cold (281)

It was a late snow that year, but when the fat flakes began to fall and stick to the earth, the children ran out squealing. It was the very first one for the youths, and there was much excitement to be had by all the castle inhabitants. But there were two who were inside, perched on their windowsill. They weren't supposed to be. Brain had been in his bed since just after his birthday, when he'd fallen because Mr. Hals-Timers had gotten him confused about high places.

But he'd been gazing out of his window at the falling snowflakes with such rapt attention that his husband hadn't been able to help himself. He'd carried his loving love to their window sill, telling him Christmas stories instead of being afraid by how light his not-so-chubby chubby hubby was.

And now he was blowing hot breath over the window and drawing pictures in the condensation with his finger. "Look, Brain, a tree!" He'd drawn a Santa hat, but Brain was smiling anyway. Simple things that used to annoy him had been making him happy lately, even Pinky's rambling bedtime stories. It delighted him even while it made him ache inside.

There was a flicker in pink eyes, deep inside, as he looked away from the condensation art to the snowfall beyond. "There was a baby in the snow," he whispered. "With a pretty pink ribbon." There was another flicker as he turned, giving the taller mouse a perplexed look. "Pinky, where's Cici?"

As cold as it was outside, the lanky mouse felt warm and cozy inside his heart. The snow had given them a good day amongst all the angry X's on Pinky's calendar.

010. Without (358)

He was reading, running his finger along the page and quietly humming to himself. He was going on a walk with his great-great-granddaughter soon; the little girl enjoyed the gardens as much as he did. Neither of them could see it clearly, of course, the girl's eyesight so faded that she may as well have been blind. He understood living on that cusp, could remember it though it had been years since his vision had blackened entirely.

He could still see his husband's golden eyes if he thought about it, decided to then and smiled to himself. The most beautiful eyes he never needed to see again. He could feel the lines fanning from them now when they were snuggled together in bed at night, or when he just felt the urge to reach out and touch. His husband was so cute.

There was a sudden, blinding pain in his head that had him seeing white for a sharp moment. He cried out, lifting a hand to his head... and then it was gone. Feta blinked rapidly, looked down at his book, and continued to read. That had been... odd.

He heard a shout a few minutes later, looked up and saw the little brown and gray mouse with a little patch of yellow that covered one ear and part of her face. Oh, just like Teddy. That was... He could see her. Feta blinked rapidly. He could _see_.

But it wasn't until Teddy rushed in a few minutes later, wobbling on his cane in his haste, that Feta realized he could see, but he wasn't seeing the whole picture. He looked over slowly when his husband dropped to his knees, the stethoscope shoved into his ears and desperately pressing against another mouse's chest. A white, fluffy mouse who was sprawled over a Braille book.

Feta's heart, or what felt like a heart, pounded painfully, so he lifted his hand to his chest and rubbed. "Oh, Teddy," he whispered, resting a hand on his husband's shoulder. Their eyes met for just a moment, holding, and the white mouse smiled because those eyes were even better than he remembered.

* * *

Next time:

Inspiration, You, Confused, Affection, Joy


	3. 11, 15

"You" is, I _think_, the longest one I have in the whole list, at over 1000 words.

In "Confused," the she is Brie, Brain's sister. And "Affection" is through Cici's (PatB's adopted daughter) eyes.

The rest are self-explanatory :heart:

* * *

011. Inspiration (195)

Brain was used to the inspiration for his plans coming from one source. Well, his plans came from his own mind. But there was always a "wait, no, no" that hit upon the one flaw. The inane suggestion or comment that would follow normally helped inspire the thought that would fill that plug, no matter that the ponderings never seemed to match.

It was a surprise, then, when his "Yes!" came as a result of a little voice. He paused before asking Pinky what he was pondering, turned to face the little fluffball who was supposed to be sleeping. She was watching them instead, a hand clapped over her mouth because she'd been caught.

Their pink eyes met and held, surprise in the elder mouse's gaze. "As helpful as the observation, Cerebral Cortex, it is passed your bedtime. Pinky, put her back to bed."

"Right, Brain!" Giggling, his blue-eyed cagemate plucked the little girl up and twirled her back to their cage.

And Brain turned back to his plans, making a quick mark that would surely make the ploy foolproof. He had to fight the smile, though, and the buzz of pride. Clever little girl.

012. You (1623)

For a moment there was just a fizzle of static on the screen where only voices could be heard. "Pinky, must you ruin everything?"

There was a giggle. "Sorry, Brain. But all the wires were so criss-crossy, I thought I would fix them!"

"Well, your fix was anything but," he grumbled and suddenly half an ear came into view.

"Oh! _Zort_! There you are, Brain! Or there your floppy ear is!" A finger appeared, poking at the ear until it twitched.

A smaller hand lifted, swatting the finger away. "Stop it, Pinky." He stepped back far enough to let himself be seen, plucked up a remote from the side of his desk and toyed with the buttons until the zoom was to his liking. "There. Now remind me to edit this foolishness out later."

Honestly perplexed, the taller mouse batted his lashes and smiled brightly. "What foolishness, Brain?"

There was a beat of silence before the smaller mouse reached up and flicked his partner between the eyes, sending him into a giggle fit. "We're going to play Simon Says now, my dear."

"Oh, yippee! I love Simon Says, Brain."

"Pinky, as long as you and I have been together, I believe I know what you love."

Big blue eyes turned teasing in a lightly lined face as he leaned over to give his grumpy hubby a nuzzle. "You know what I _really_ love, Brain?"

"Pinky, _please_!" Cheeks reddening, the megalomaniacal mouse stepped around to take a seat behind his desk. "Simon says stay quiet until you're allowed to speak."

"When'll that be, Brain?"

"When I tell you. Now shush." He glared at his husband when the lanky mouse opened his mouth again, and he pressed his lips together to be extra quiet. "Excellent." The megalomaniac steepled his fingers, resting them on top of his desk. "Now, then, I suppose I'll begin by saying that I'm aware of how unorthodox this is. But I have no interest in lawyers when I know more than they do on average - no offense to you, John, of course. I am also, while no longer the official emperor, still the mouse who took over the world. I can do this however I like, and this is how Pinky and I chose to do it."

"I didn't choose, Brain. You did."

He sent his husband a bland stare. "I know, Pinky. Be quiet."

"Simon says?"

"Simon says."

"'Kay. Poit."

Brain leaned back in his chair, the briefest flicker of something indiscernible passing in his pink eyes. "I, The Brain, of sound mind and sound body declare this to be my last Will and Testament."

"Me too! _Zort!_"

"Yes, my dear, you too."

And so it continued, Brain making his bequests and his husband chiming in with his gifts at points that were just as random as his belongings, one of which being his lint collection. Until it looked like they were at the end. "Alright, my dear, do you have anything else you would like to say?"

"Oh, yes! _Narf_!" The taller mouse got closer to the camera and clapped his hands together, pressing his joined hands to his cheeks. "I love you! I love you, baby snow mouse and baby Bella and my special surprise inside! And Romy even though he already said all his bye-byes. I love all of my grandbabies and great-grandbabies all the baby babies that come after!"

He hugged himself tightly, twirling, and Brain could be seen behind him then, watching with a small smile and warm eyes. "Oh! And remember to just say narf! I love you! Goodnight!" He waved again, then scampered to Brain, pulling him into a kiss before the smaller mouse could protest. He protested eventually, but it was clearly only after he remembered the camera was there.

"Pinky! Stop that. I have to edit this out now as well."

"I'm sorry, Brain. I couldn't help meself." He giggled, hugging himself again and twirling happily. "I just love you so much!" The red in his cheeks settled to a soft pink as he reached out and cupped his husband's cheeks, letting their noses touch until Pinky's tail wagged behind him and he relaxed. "Oh, Brain..."

He cleared his throat, stepping back. "Yes, well... It's time to turn the camera off now, dear."

"And then more kisses? Poit."

There was a moment of silence while Brain picked up the remote. He hit the button, but there was clearly a delay because his "Perhaps" came through clearly before the screen flicked to black.

And then it flicked back on, this time to show only Brain. He was seated behind his desk again, but there was no excitable husband sweeping around him. There was a quiet sigh, the mouse setting aside the remote. "Pinky's part was finished, but mine is not. At this time, I would like to speak to Cerebral Cortex, Cerebellum, and Cyan. Pause the video if necessary."

It picked up again a moment later, Brain looking down at his hands. "My babies," he murmured, lifting a hand to rub his brow. "I'm sorry. The coming months are going to be trying for you far more so than for me. Because, eventually, I won't be aware that anything's wrong. I would stop this if I could, but you're watching this so I... I clearly wasn't able to."

He rubbed his temples a moment, then shook his head. "I won't dwell on it for the moment. There are other things to focus on. You've heard what Pinky and I have given you all, you and your families. I've given you the world as I wished to, and will forever be pleased with that. I worked very hard to accomplish that goal and will forever be proud of it, of the world I've managed to shape for you. I didn't want to raise my children in a cage or have them be treated as lab experiments. At least I managed the latter with you, Cici. But you've all done a fine job in your lives and I am... I am immeasurably proud of you.

"Cici, you've made your mistakes, but Pinky and I... _I_ have made mistakes in raising you, but I believe that all first fathers do. And while you were my second child, you're the first one I raised at a normal pace. I have full confidence that you are going to rule the world with all the wisdom those mistakes have given you. And with all the wisdom motherhood grants.

"Cerebellum, you are your mother's daughter in every imaginable way. Your children are exceedingly lucky to have you in their lives and I will never regret my decision to give you your mother's eyes. Even though Cyan would choose to use those genetics against me." He lifted a brow, but there was a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Speaking of whom, Cyan... Thank you. We've already discussed cures, and I have no doubt that you will have done everything in your power to this point to locate one. I may be gone, but I expect you to continue your research. You'll find a cure in time. This is..." He sighed. "It's genetic and not a fate I would want to befall you or your twin. Cici, I suppose we've discovered one minor benefit to you being born elsewhere."

He tapped his fingers together, sighing. "The original point was that I'm also proud of you, Cyan. You've come a long way in your life. You've followed your goals, you became an excellent father at such a young age to a little girl who needed you. You'll never entirely be free of that lisp of yours, and I'm honestly glad for it. Everyone needs a piece of their childhood."

With a quiet sigh, he leaned back in his chair. "There's so much I could say here, so much that needs to be said. I can only hope that I manage to say it all in the coming months and in my memoirs. Which have been completed by this point and are ready for publishing, but I've saved it for now. The folder is on my laptop, which should be in the desk unless it's been moved. The password is "Cyanstopattemptingtopeek" wherein Cyan in capitalized and there are no spaces."

His lips twitched slightly as he removed his spectacles, cleaning them absently. "Feel free to read it beforehand, but there's a section of pages that shouldn't be published, so keep those in mind. They are part of my life, but those are portions I'm certain will make Cici's reign a bit more difficult than need be. Cyan," the glasses were slipped back on, "be sure and write a forward. I enjoy your writing." The light pink color in his cheeks and the way he had to clear his throat was demonstration enough that the compliment was sincere.

"That's all that should be said for now, else you'll more than likely be sitting there for hours. I won't put that strain on Bella's attention span." He tapped the remote against his palm, offered a small smile. "I leave you the world, children. And all of the love I've never been able to properly express. I'm so proud of all of you."

"Braaaain!" came from the background, the former emperor lifting a brow as he looked back. "It's bedtime! _Troz_!"

"Yes, my dear, I'm coming," he replied.

"'Kay!"

Shaking his head, he glanced back to the camera and cleared his throat again. "I love you. Goodnight." And he hit the button on the remote. The delay lasted long enough for Pinky to appear and pluck his husband out of his chair. "Pinky, you-"

And the screen fizzled to static and went to black.

013. Confused (257)  
She'd been determined not to think of him that way, been determined to keep him satisfactorily stationed in the so-called friend zone. It's where he belonged. It's where her heart had been safest from him. She couldn't have a relationship; she didn't really believe they worked. Or at least not that they would work for her. She'd sworn them off thanks to her parents' extremely misguided attempts at pawning her off to every available mouse when she'd been young. So no. She hadn't wanted to taint Leuk that way. Her adorable, curly, dark-eyed friend.

But he'd been the one to pull her close. He'd been the one to link their hands, only their hands. And he'd gone so slow that she knew she would've been able to pull away at any minute. More, that she _should've_ pulled away. He'd given her ample time.

And yet their lips were touching. Though she stood stiff and stunned, her lashes fluttered down and a soft sigh spilled between them as the kiss deepened just a hair. So slow, so warm. So much soft fur and a heart that might just have room for her. Her own opened...

And released fear. She stepped back abruptly, breaking the kiss and the contact of their hands. And she stared at him, pink eyes wide and fearful. While his settled into hurt and then confusion. She opened her mouth to explain, couldn't, and fled instead.

When she saw him again days later, the kiss wasn't mentioned. And it was she who was left confused.

014. Affection (241)

They were so different that it took her awhile to understand. Because Pinky was obvious with his love. He would sweep her up, twirl her around. He would tell her stories, make her lovely frilly dresses for their wonderful tea parties. He would rescue her from bad guys while wearing a cape and mask. He would grace her with happy kisses and tell her so often that she never once doubted his love. It was eternal, shining in those unusual blue eyes every single moment.

It was Brain that gave her trouble. He didn't praise every single thing she did, telling her when she was wrong. Sometimes so harshly that her heart would ache and she'd need her mommy-daddy to make it better again. But when she was right, he gave her pats. She wanted hugs, but he hemmed and hawed and pawned her off on his partner. He never said the words, not even with his eyes from what she could tell. At least at first.

It took her awhile, but she eventually picked up on it. Every pat was an "I love you." Every scribbled "good job" in the corner of a successful homework assignment was an "I'm so proud." Every shuffle of his feet and every hem and haw was an "I want to, but I don't know how."

They were so different, but they both loved her. And she was so glad when she figured it out.

015. Joy (142)

They'd been suffering for weeks. A foiled plan had ended up losing them Acme Labs for an extended amount of time, until their taxes had returned and granted them enough to pay back the loan sharks and get the deed back. But that had also necessitated an escape from the home of one Elmyra Duff. Brain would rather go several rounds with the devil than ever be in that vile girl's clutches again. She'd smashed them together, flushed them down a toilet, ruined his plans again and again...

Brain shuddered, his hand seeking his best friend's. The taller mouse giggled, sweeping him up into a hug that was far too tight, but still had nothing on that little human's deathly embraces. And the megalomaniac had never been happier than when he'd stepped into their old cage and realized that they were home.

* * *

Next time:

Horror, Acceptance, Sympathy, Holding, Defeated


	4. 16, 20

Updating and running today

And HIGHLY annoyed with deviantART being down.

Absolutely ridiculous -_-

* * *

016. Horror (815)

His father was gone for the day, leaving his office empty and available for trespassing. And with his older sister spending the afternoon with Aunt Brie and his twin playing Super Mouse and Mini-Mouseketeer with their mother, the coast was clear. As far as anyone knew, he was in the library anyway. No one knew he'd snuck into the emperor's office through the secret passageways. He wasn't supposed to know about them all anyway.

So he secreted into the office, looking around with interest. It was different being in here without his daddy up on the high desk. He felt like a spy, which was a very secret, very private sort of thrill. Because being a spy was ridiculous... but he kind of wished he had a suit to pull it off properly.

The young genius scaled one of the bookshelves, wobbling here and there as his legs were more accustomed to running than climbing as yet, but he made it to his destination soon enough and rubbed his hands together triumphantly.

He walked towards the little yellow submarine, darting glances here and there just in case something changed. He could hear a squeal from behind the door to the playroom and rolled his eyes. They were going to be busy for a while longer, so he was in the clear. He opened the contraption and climbed in, scowling as he looked about at the controls. He'd seen this a couple of weeks before, so knew what to do with what, but he wasn't entirely convinced.

It wasn't likely as this was his daddy, but it was possible that all the things he'd seen before had been a trick of some sort. Time travel didn't make sense, nor did demons and aliens and Big Foot! And for a boy who craved sense, this was unacceptable.

So if he went on his own, it would show his parent that he was too old to fall for his tricks and it was a nice try, but he was almost all grown up now so there. He was past five months - practically an adult.

Nodding to himself, he closed the lid and turned the paperclip of a key. The machine started and Cyan swallowed, feeling the first trickle of nerves as he put in one of the dates his father had the last time. He watched the same events happen on one day and then another, gasping when it really was Elvis singing while his parents were trapped in a cage not at Acme Labs. He went to every date except the one with the demon, deciding that self-preservation mattered a little bit more. This time.

And then he went to other dates, random ones that his father couldn't have possibly thought to come up with false pasts that were somehow projected on the screen. His jaw dropped when he saw his parents surrounded by cavemen, trying to teach the unevolved mice how to create fire, and then had to bite back a giggle when his daddy ended up burning himself and ended up in a pool of water nearby.

He didn't know how long he spent going from place to place, exploring his parents' lives together and feeling stirrings of jealousy for all the things they'd been able to see in their quest for world domination. He'd see the world one day, he promised himself. He'd make a mark in a different way.

It was during this decision that he put in a date near Christmas. And at first he was puzzled because he could see the lab in the distance, but there was no sign of either parent. Until he heard a crash nearby and jolted.

...Mummy? He was running from where he'd crashed a big wheel into a tree, tears flying from his eyes as he berated himself for being unable to even run away right. Cyan's ears fell slightly; he hated when his mummy cried. But then he discovered something he hated more - he was about to jump!

Horrified, Cyan could only watch and look about desperately for his daddy. He almost didn't see him and then was baffled when he saw him yanking on a beard and white angel's robes in a flurry of motion. He was just in time, though, to stop his mummy from taking that final, dangerous leap.

Cyan went home after that, stole from the time machine and ran into the playroom to make certain his happy, bubbly mummy was still playing and was so relieved when he saw that purple cape swoom by that he dropped down and started sobbing like the baby he definitely was not. Mummy came to the rescue quickly, Super Mouse put away in favor of soothing the not happy, sadly bad crying, and the child never played with the time machine without permission again. Some things, he didn't need to see.

017. Acceptance (270)

It should've been simple. Once Rosie's deafness had been diagnosed, a simple hearing aid should've been all she needed. She'd been able to hear when she'd been born, he was certain of it. Theodore had assured him of that and Brain himself had given the newborn girl a clean bill of health. So when his daughter had come to his office one day, saying her baby was deaf, he'd assumed that perhaps she was just hard of hearing.

They'd tested and worked and each of them had studied, though Theodore was well-trained in his chosen field. Brain was quietly grateful that the boy saw the need to go the extra distance simply because he'd married into the family. But a hearing aid wouldn't work, an amplification of sound less than what she needed.

So it was on to the next step - a cochlear implant. It would require surgery, stimulation directly to the girl's auditory nerve required. But she would be able to hear, The Brain was certain of it. She had to. It wasn't that his granddaughter was less without the ability, but he didn't want her to suffer the hardships of deafness any more than he'd wanted his nephew to suffer the hardships of blindness. He'd lost the battle against Feta's eyes; he wouldn't lose the battle against Rosie's ears.

Except her auditory nerve was damaged, irreparably so. A cochlear implant would be a dangerous and ultimately useless risk. He lost the battle. And, once that was accepted, the learning began. If he couldn't prevent the hardships, he could help her with them in every way he could.

018. Sympathy (152)  
He refused it, ignored it. There was nothing worse than sympathy to remind him of what was occurring. Didn't he have to suffer enough signs? A forgotten name that would bring fear and sadness into the eyes of whatever family member he'd slighted. A blank look at a statement beginning with "Remember when...?" only caused them more pain.

He didn't want the sympathy because this was his doing. If he could just remember, he wouldn't be making his family suffer. But he couldn't. He just couldn't and it broke his heart even as it broke theirs. So he rejected the sympathy and did what he could to remember as much as he could. He wrote sticky notes, he wrote his memoirs, he played memory games in his mind, and he clung to every scrap he could.

Until he simply stopped noticing the sympathy, the emotion not making sense to a deteriorating mind.

019. Holding (321)  
She was asleep and while he dearly didn't want to admit it, he knew she wasn't going to awaken. Her brain waves were slowing, dimming, and Rodoric and Theodore were running about their doctor's office in a separate wing frantically seeking a way to keep her around. The Brain, however, had decided to accept it. It wasn't an easy decision to make. He loved his sister and could only be grateful that she'd let him tell her a final time.

Though he wondered if perhaps he was only accepting it because he'd known the night before she'd slipped into this coma. She had been getting so tired as of late, sleeping more and more. He hadn't been called Brainiac in days and she had sobbed when he'd forgotten her name. He knew all of his family was struggling to adjust to the irreversible diagnosis, but his baby sister was the only one who sobbed.

...Perhaps that was just another good reason to accept it. She needed her pillar, but he'd fallen and left her on uneven ground.

Quietly, he slid his hand over hers and wasn't sure if he should smile or weep when it turned in sleep so their palms would meet. He used the hook of his cane to pull a chair closer, settling himself by her bedside without releasing her hand, and sank down onto it.

"A world full of cheeses," he sang quietly, the pulse beneath his thumb fading. It was his defense against the way his own sped, the way his breath wanted to catch. And it was her favorite song. His baby sister should hear her favorite song, even if his tone was shaky.

"Deliciously made for you and me. Flavors like provolone and... and Brie..." There was nothing beneath his thumb, so he squeezed his eyes shut. "Each with its own ethnicity," he sang softly, and continued to hold her hand. "So many cheeses..."

020. Defeated (118)

"No!" he shouted. "No! No! No! No! You incompetent morons! Do you have any idea how much math I had to do to confirm your success? I even factored in the wild card! All the statistics were in your favor, and you ruined it all!"

The emperor continued to rant and rave, pacing along his large desk and pausing only to kick his computer monitor. "Your blatant disregard for the math is an affront to statistician's everywhere!" he snapped, fixing his glare on the celebrating baseball team, the team who had just defeated his ballclub of choice.

"Imbeciles!" Infuriated, he climbed from his desk to go and locate his husband for a distraction in the form of cuddles.

* * *

Next time:

Pride, Knife, Overwhelmed, Depressed, Adoration


	5. 21, 25

Adoration, because I realized I never say their names, is Apple and Jack. Apple is Cyan's adopted daughter; Jack is Cici's son and belongs to Skimmingsurfaces, along with Neo, Rosie, and Colby.

Knife is about Terry, who is Billie's son and will eventually marry Bella :heart: Billie's a bad mummy

Egad, we have such a big OC-verse XD

* * *

021. Pride (210)

Perhaps they each had too much of it. Certainly, they'd both been born with it. Children with parents like theirs? If they hadn't had pride, they wouldn't have anything. So they each had their fair share and perhaps the shares of a few others as well. But they needed it. Without it, they would've just wallowed in nothingness and self-pity. Instead, they'd done something with themselves.

One was on a nightly quest to take over the world and the other was... living in his basement. And it was pride that kept her there, had put her there without asking permission. Because she was a field mouse at heart, the outdoors calling to her in a way the sterile lab environment never would. But she'd lost her tin can of a home and had desperately needed another place to stay.

The only family she knew of was her brother. So she had come to ask him for shelter. Pride had held her back, kept the words tied in her chest. And they continued to do so, night after night, when she snuck down those stairs and hid away in a drawer that held a little doll bed for her to sleep on.

022. Knife (412)

It was an accident, really. But he hadn't been feeling good, so he kept falling asleep. And each time he woke up, it would be a different time and his mother would be in a different place. But every time, she was in the cage at least. Every time he made a soft noise to try and catch her attention, she would at least glance over at him. She never looked happy about it, but she looked. He kind of wished he was sick lots more. She'd look lots more. She'd see him. She wouldn't step on him or trip over him or forget he was there.

Teary, pale eyes closed on a whimpery little sound, the pain in his head escapable only in these brief bouts of sleep. But his mother wasn't in the cage when he awoke next, so the little boy squeaked softly. And then slowly sat up. He was so dizzy...

But the cage door was open. It had never been open before; his mother never let him out. She left him alone often, but never had she made it possible for him to leave as well. And his tummy really hurt and he couldn't reach the water bottle for the drink of water he desperately wanted. So... so he had to follow her, find her.

The month and a half old shakily pulled himself to his feet and began hobbling his way towards the open cage. Teaching oneself to walk was difficult enough; having to walk on still-unsteady legs when you were ill was almost impossible. So he fell more than climbed out of the cage, his little head thwacking onto the countertop hard enough to make him cry out.

But he still needed his mother, so pulled himself back up and started wobbling closer and closer towards the sounds of voices. It was vaguely familiar, deep and soothing. A mouse on the screeny thing, the toddler realized and sucked his thumb. His mother was watching him, her hands balled into fists, but at least he could see her now.

Relief and nausea seemed to hit him at the same time, the little mouse stumbling sideways until he fell from their counter to a lower one, his ear snagging on a knife. He yelped wheezily, coughing loudly afterwards, as his ear tore and he fell the rest of the way. The room was spinning, growing darker as blood flowed from the wound. And his eyes closed again.

023. Overwhelmed (732)

She was trying her best, really. Cyan had always seemed to react best to her, not patting at her face as he did everyone else in their family. But today he just wouldn't settle down. And it wasn't even as though he wanted to be put down like normal, no. He wanted to be held, needed to be it seemed. But his nose was runny and his little face was scrunched and red, and the wails were only kept quiet by her keeping a pacifier in his mouth.

At least Bella was quiet, sleeping in her rocking walnut shell bed while their mother was off at the store, gathering supplies for that night's plan. Their father was on the phone, had been since the completion of said plan. Cici didn't know why, had been too distracted to listen in as she normally did when their plan to take over the world was explained. She'd even missed the pondering.

Cyan began to whine and whimper anew, spitting up the pacifier and waving tiny fists in the air. She didn't know what the problem was, stayed slumped against her bed while she held him in her lap because her arms were tired. Everything was so tired. He'd been so fussy all day, but she was the best at dealing with him so she'd insisted that everything was fine when Pinky had asked. And Brain had been out of the cage almost since waking up, a dream inspiring a plan that needed to be written out quickly so he wouldn't forget it.

Cici had resolved not to bother him. She could take care of Cyan. She was practically grown up. She was his big sister. She could handle this. She could. Even her bow was drooped, as if the ribbon could sense her exhaustion. But she did her best to ignore it while dabbing up the spittle from her baby brother's tiny body. "Shh, Cyan, it's okay."

His response was a wail, loud and long and choking. It scared her, had her resting him and the spit-up blanket over her shoulder while she rubbed and patted his back. "Don't do that. You'll mess up the plan," she mumbled. Always the plan, right? She hadn't heard that particular phrase in ages, but it hung in her mind. "Daddy's trying to take over the world, Cyan. You can wait. You'll be okay." They could both wait, but his breathing was getting raggedy. He seemed just as tired as she was. But something was wrong with him, something that she was sure she could fix. If she could just wake herself up enough to figure out what it was.

She settled him back into her lap, getting the silencing pacifier back into his mouth, and her entire body jerked when she felt the weight of him lift from her lap. She reached out with a surprised sound, trying to get him back. Oh, no! What if he'd fallen? What if she hurt him? She'd never show how responsible she was if she were to hurt him. She'd never get to help take over the world; he'd never trust her to run it.

But when her bleary eyes blinked open, they met worried pink ones. And even as she prepared herself for the scolding, the voice was soft. "Come now, baby. It's time for bed."

She could hear Cyan sniffling, every bit of her aching as she was helped to her feet by the sturdy megalomaniac. "Daddy, I was taking care of him; I was."

"Shh. I know. I know you were." And she was just as feverish as the baby he now held. "Lie down now." He settled her onto her bed, helped get her bow off. It wasn't folded as neatly as it normally was, the worried father only able to work with one hand while Cyan's sniffles began shifting to full-blown wails. "There now, Cici. Sleep now."

"Your plan-"

"It can wait, baby." His little family was so much more important and had he known two of his children were ill earlier, his husband never would have been sent off. The plans never would've been initiated. "The world can wait. Just sleep."

She couldn't fight it, too overwhelmed by worry and sickness and fear. And she fell asleep with a soft "I love you" filling her ears, drowning out the sounds of a sick baby's cries.

024. Depressed (525)

Brain didn't sit out on the windowsill looking for his feck as much as he once had, but Pinky still clearly remembered what those droopy ears and that upturned gaze meant. He was sad about something, very sad and all alone without the feck he sought. Pinky made his way over from the playroom. The grandbabies were in bed, but they'd made his chubby hubby upset earlier. Or one of them had with his grumpy accusations.

Pinky settled onto the windowsill, drawing his husband closer and giving him a nuzzle. He kept his pink gaze on the stars above. "Both of them, Pinky," he said quietly. "I've given both of Cici's sons cause to doubt me." And he knew why, thanks to Neo. He may have been dragged into the room by his older brother, but once he'd gotten started, it had taken him a while to stop.

Brain had been mortified that it had been escaping tears from his own treacherous eyes that had silenced him, had been even more humiliated their mother had decided to enter his office then. But he did love them, both of them and their sister, so very much. He loved all of his family very much. It was one of the only things those ridiculous human newspapers ever printed that was correct about him.

"They know you love them, Brain." Pinky rubbed his cheek against his husband's biggly-wiggly head. "Poit."

"_Now_, yes. But I haven't the slightest clue what I did to gain their doubt." Except he did. It all went back to his admittedly poor relationship with their father. But it was better now than it had been. There were still issues and they were still struggling to find something for Colby to do around the castle in order to avoid more bouts with his itchy feet, but he was so very against everything that had to do directly with ruling the world. They were currently facing a wall which caused them to turn against one another a bit more than they had been, but The Brain didn't let that interfere with his relationship with his grandsons.

Or so he'd thought. Neo's very blunt accusations had led him to believe otherwise, Cici's attempts at placating him doing little to help. His daughter shouldn't have to apologize for her children, not when the direct cause was his own faults.

Pinky's arms tightened around him, the smaller mouse abruptly realizing he was trembling. "It's okay, Brain."

But it wasn't. There was still the tension between him and Colby and there was still one more child to doubt him. All of his children had run off at one point. It stood to reason that all of Cici's children would doubt his affections for them. But he didn't know how to fix his relationship with their father, one that had been damaged from the start.

Nothing saddened him more than the dread that curled in his gut, the certainty that sweet little Rosie would come to him one day and ask him why he didn't love her. And there was nothing he knew to do that would stop it from occurring.

025. Adoration (153)

He was her very first cousin, and he never said anything. He never told her to go away. He never told her to be quiet. He never told her to leave him alone. Yet he also seemed to listen while she chattered. They were in the playroom, rolling a ball back and forth since grandma was distracting grandpa from work. She didn't know why that was okay, but grandma had been giggling when he'd run off and he was a grown-up, so she hadn't questioned it.

She hadn't stopped questioning anything else, though. And offering her opinions. It was a novel thing, having someone listen, and this very first cousin was good at that. So she finally stopped talking and stopped rolling the ball to go over to him. She plopped down, pulled him into a hug, and gave him a turn to talk.

That alone spoke volumes of her adoration for him.

* * *

Next time:

Worship, Zeal, Light, Exhaustion, Obsession


	6. 26, 30

Light gives me the most painful feels :c

I don't know why, but Brain and his Alzheimer's just fascinated me throughout this 100 list

* * *

026. Worship (194)

The girl's memory wasn't the best by any means. Sometimes, she even forgot her own name. Not the Bella part, but the Sara part that came first. Sara Bella! Or the funny "m" way her daddy would pronounce it sometimes, but she'd already figured out that sometimes he could be quite confused. Though... she tended to forget that too.

But one thing she never ever forgot was the caped crusader who would fly towards her and her brother and big sister, rescuing them from the evil she could see quite plainly. Even when her twin grumbled that it was "widicuwous," she would watch in awe and wonder. How any mouse could be so brave and dashing was enough to make any young girl swoon!

So she vowed to be just like him. To be brave and caring and clean up the streets of lint and other dirty, icky things that weren't narf _or_ troz! She would be just like him, she knew she would. She even told him so and was lifted high for a hug that reminded her so much of her mommy's hugs. It just made her love Super Mouse even more.

027. Zeal (298)

They were practically children still, but both had gone through a great deal over seven months of life. So they may have been youthful physically, but they were mentally aged. Or one of them was. The other would probably remain a two month old for the rest of his life, but the shorter of the pair still saw potential in him as a sidekick of sorts.

A sidekick was very important, he'd decided. With a fairly recent successful gene splicing under his belt and inflating his head, the newly brilliant mouse had done quite a bit of research in a very short amount of time. And what he had learned led him to believe that he was more likely to succeed in his quests if he had a companion of sorts. Luckily, he had a live-in follower right in his cage.

He wandered into their home, watching the taller, lankier creature running on the wheel. His tongue was lolled, his genetically recessive blue eyes sparkled. "Pinky!" he called, for that was the bumbling fool's name of choice.

He didn't stop running, turning only his head. His smile appeared, as bright and shining as his eyes. "Hi, Brain!"

"Cease your incessant running for we must prepare for tonight."

"Why, Brain? What are we going to do tonight?"

"We are going to follow my destiny, Pinky, and take over the world!" he exclaimed and the two laboratory mice went out with a goal in mind and a plan that was carried out with a fresh enthusiasm. It inevitably failed, but it didn't stop the little mouse and his sidekick/friend. Night after night, they would enact a plan to take over the world. And one day their zealous energy would win them the world. They were both certain of it.

028. Light (369)

Pinky didn't dance very often anymore. He tried a lot, but his aging body wouldn't hold the lines as cleanly as they once had. His old toes would ache and cry before he'd even start balancing his weight on them. It was very unusual for the mouse who'd spent a great deal of his life feeling light and carefree, to be weighed down by age. And sadness.

Sadness was a very heavy thing and mean old Mr. Hals-Timers had ignored the letter he'd written a few months back, taking more and more pieces of his husband every day. But the music was playing now. It was very important music, a very very important song. And Brain had stopped on it all by himself. He'd been flipping through song after song, tapping the little button over and over again.

And even though they were snuggled in bed together, his hubby unable to leave it any longer, Pinky just had to get up and he had to dance. He had to dance for this song even if Brain didn't remember the words any more, even though it had been several long days since he'd heard his voice properly. It was only at night now, a slightly raspy version of his hubby's warm tones would whisper "I love you" and "goodnight" because they were very important. The sticky note said so.

It hurt, old bones and muscles protesting the motions. But Pinky still only had eyes for his Brain even if the pretty pink eyes never seemed to look at him any longer. The tears started weighing him down halfway, the sadness heavy and unrelenting. So he was going to stop and finish the dance in his head until he twirled and saw that those eyes were on him. Really on him in a way they hadn't been in over two weeks now.

And it was like a weight was lifted from him, his old body still rendering him incapable of doing the movements as smoothly as he once had. But he tried and he did everything he could until the song was over. Because those eyes followed him the whole time and, egad, there was even a smile. Just for him.

029. Exhaustion (272)

Brain looked up when he heard the yawn, turned in his chair and lifted a brow. It was only mid-afternoon, but the lanky mouse who'd come in from the playroom looked like he could drop to sleep at any moment. He yawned again, reaching out when the smaller of the two held his hand out. "Were you playing with the great-grandchildren again, my dear?"

Old blue eyes that were only just beginning to line lit with unbridled glee. "They're just so cute, Brain. But they're fast. Even faster than me!"

There were five of them, ranging from two months to five, and they were just as rambunctious as any of the previous generations had been. What his poor husband didn't seem to realize was that he was just getting too old to play with them the way he had the previous generations. He tried, though, and there was no shortage of younger adults to help lighten the load. Without them, Pinky probably wouldn't last to mid-afternoon as he did.

"Astounding, my dear." His lips curved just a bit, Brain shifted in his chair and tugged his husband down to sit beside him in it. The smile remained when Pinky draped his frame over his large head, the yawn audible just against his ear. "Why don't you have a nap and we'll see how fast they are once you awaken."

"Oh, but I'm not tired, Brain. Poit."

The words were mumbled, The Brain certain his lover already had his eyes closed. "I know you're not, Pinky." He was so much more than tired, as evidenced by the narf-snores that soon filled the room.

030. Obsession (224)

It started with a nickname. Gene had defeated his beloved uncle in a game of chess, been scowled at, and the nickname had come. And with it had come the promise of perhaps leading his uncle's peacekeeping forces! Being an important part of his uncle's dream come true. The thought had made his heart swell and his head spin in ways the young mouse had never felt before. He hadn't been able to help take the world over as his older cousin had, but he _could_ help Uncle Brain keep it.

So the obsession began, the boy locked into military texts and historical accounts of battles. He brought the first test to his uncle with shining eyes and burning hope, and the megalomaniac had given him a pat and approval...

He'd ended up bombing the test, his head filled with prideful buzzing rather than fact, and the eye roll and scowl had been enough punishment to the devoted boy. The test was taken again, and then another and another. Two solid years, his obsession drove him, claimed him. And when his uncle pinned that fifth star on his cap, the grown mouse felt like a child again, seated across a chessboard and gazing at his uncle with wide-eyed glee.

His uncle's lips quirked as he gave his nephew a pat and approval. "Congratulations, General."

* * *

Next time:

Rage, Empty, Anger, Fury, Delight


	7. 31, 35

Warning:

Ending on a sad note :c

But more chapter's are a'comin' today

So woot XD

* * *

031. Rage (299)

He suppressed it only because it wasn't the day for it. But it bubbled under the surface, the rage that prompted him to throw things or break them, to shout and rant at his family. To lash out at the entire world because this just wasn't right. This wasn't right at all. He wasn't supposed to be standing over a child's grave.

He had only recently turned three, though the results of his cloning had sapped months, if not an entire year, off of his life. He was really four, maybe a bit older even. And two was middle-aged. Brain's grip on his cane tightened, the rage he couldn't unleash on others internalizing.

He should've seen this coming. He'd only reached his own fifth birthday because he's started developing and drinking the serum that would extend their lives. He should've known that Roman wouldn't take it. His oldest son was far too lax to do something like take chemical enhancements to elongate his life. He should've made his son take them, seen him more to make sure he was. But Roman had never been happy settled in one place. He wouldn't be happy being buried, but the emperor couldn't bear to cremate him.

His rage turned on Roman next, grip tightening further as he mentally scolded his foolish, idiotic, stupid, too much like Pinky son. He should've taken the serum. What had he been thinking? His life had already been shortened by the rapid pace of his growth, so why wouldn't he extend it properly. Why? Why, Roman?

He heard a gasping, sobbing breath, didn't realize it was his own until his weepy husband's arms wrapped around him and held tight. Held until the rage ebbed and his grip on the cane lessened in order to return the embrace.

032. Empty (188)

He'd always assumed that he would be glad upon receiving the news. The dratted hamster had caused him nothing but trouble throughout most of his life. Perhaps, then, it was the "most" that kept the unholy glee at bay. Because they had been friends once, carefree and playful. The experiments hadn't mattered as long as they could be together.

Until an experiment had torn them apart, turned them against one another. They'd awakened Snowball's evil and, if Brain thought too deeply on it, he would admit that they'd also awakened his. But where he had located a moral compass, fallen in love, and built a family... The hamster had not. And he was alone, as evidenced by the state of his body. Decay had set in before he'd been found, but he was still recognizable. And DNA didn't lie.

Brain waved a hand, removing the mask from his mouth and nose only after he'd been escorted from the prison morgue. His former friend was now also his former enemy, and all the emperor felt was empty. "Take me home, Paul. And let's not speak of this to Pinky."

033. Anger (406)

It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair at all. Daddy had said he'd always come back; he'd promised again and again. The megalomaniac had promised that they'd always come back after the plans. And they were back, yes, but the smell was all wrong. And the look of them was all wrong.

Mommy was scared and wouldn't talk to her, but to smile distractedly and tell her to wait outside. So she was waiting because he'd finally picked her up with hands that were red and wrong and placed her outside the cage. And he wasn't letting her back in when she knew she could help. She was seven months, but that was old enough. She wasn't a baby and she knew that something had gone horribly wrong if mommy was bleeding and daddy wasn't speaking.

The longer she had to wait, the more worried she got, the more irrationally angry she grew. It was the teenage hormones daddy kept scowling at her for having, but she couldn't help them. She'd been shut out of her own home, the smell carrying and the bars of the cage not blocking her vision when she stubbornly made her way to the other side of the cage.

Her parents were on their bed, one so quiet and on his side with red and red and red staining the bandages the other wrapped tightly around his body. And he kept talking, though daddy wasn't responding. "Brain? Brain, don't close your eyes, Brain. They're so pretty, Brain. I love you. You'll be okay, Brain. Everything'll be okay. I promise, Brain. We're marrieds and we have to be okay."

The teenager fled, running for her hiding spot high on the shelves and turned the "No Boys Allowed" sign with a sharp flick of her wrist. Pinky wouldn't ignore it, but Brain wouldn't. But it didn't matter that Brain wouldn't. She held her hands over her ears, the anger boiling in her, the betrayal keen and sharp. They'd come back, but they hadn't come back safe. Daddy hadn't come back safe and she hated him-

"Cici? Cici, baby, shh. Cerebral Cortex, hush now."

She blinked rapidly, gazing up at the intense pink eyes of her father and was still able to feel the anger of her dream bubbling in her. But they were home and safe, so she latched on instead of pushing away and didn't let go until the phantom rage was gone.

034. Fury (447)

After the disaster the previous Thanksgiving had proven to be, The Brain had no intention of going to his parents' home in Florida to engage in another. He already had a plan in reserve involving the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York. Even if it failed, at least his little girl would be able to see all the floats... as would his companion. And now that the twins had been created, they would all go up to New York and enjoy the parade.

But then he'd taken over the world, rendering the plan unnecessary. And rendering it a bit on the unsafe side to go to New York for a parade. At least not this close to his global takeover. Next year, he promised himself. The twins and triplets would all be old enough to enjoy it properly.

Luckily, the world takeover also rendered it on the unsafe side to go to his parents' home. They were sent for and brought in a chartered flight (them and Pinky's parents and... Sis) for Thanksgiving at their freshly completed castle.

And it was a disaster from the first moment, at least in regards to The Brain's judgemental parents.

"This is your castle? Shouldn't you have a palace or something?"

"Your sister's going to be living here? She can't be mature enough to find her own place?"

"More _clones_? Why can't you have normal kids? At least your sister managed that."

"Do you really need this big of a table? Seems like a waste of wood."

"O-ho! A chef! Looks who's too good for berries and bits of wheat!"

"What are all these books? You need two rooms for them all? In my day, a mouse didn't need to _read_."

"Our room is too big."

"The walk is too far."

"That's what you're wearing to rule the world? Shouldn't you have a crown or something?"

When, at the dinner table for that family meal, they refused to sit beside Cici ("Shouldn't she go back to her real family now? You don't have to take care of her since you can find her real parents.") Brain's fury reached new levels. They were abruptly thrown out and banned from the premises. Cici _was_ his real daughter. Romy and the twins _were_ normal kids. His sister deserved to live with them, her and her family. And he could have his castle anyway he wanted it because he had taken over the world without their help, thank you for absolutely nothing, and Pinky _loved_ their castle! And that was all that mattered!

And he was thankful, that year, for never having to subject his family to the rudeness of his horrible parents ever again.

035. Delight (217)

She was so small and soft, with big round eyes and grabby baby hands. He only winced a little when she latched onto his ear, waved away the father when he attempted to come to Brain's rescue. It wasn't her fault that he couldn't hold it up any longer, but he did lift a hand to remove the tiny fingers. She purred at him, squeaked something babbly at him, and his lips curved.

He'd missed this little treasure's arrival, trapped in bed with a deteriorating mind. He'd missed so much, but this wasn't the day to dwell on that. He lifted the baby, though it took some effort, and rubbed their noses together. The little giggle he received warmed his heart and he had to blink away the tears. He wanted to be there to see her grow, be a part of her life as he'd been part of his children and grandchildren's.

But this great-grandchild would have to know life without him. He knew his time was short. So short that he couldn't hold the little girl any longer. There was too much other family to see. Trembling slightly, he offered the baby to her father and nodded his approval. "She's beautiful, Jack," he murmured, and delighted in the prideful little squeaks that followed the compliment.

* * *

Next time:

Submission, Infatuation, Anticipation, Pessimistic, Jolly


	8. 36, 40

See? Next one's already up! :D

And, yes, Sherlock (Bella's son) marries a mouse named John. Skimmingsurfaces and I couldn't resist :giggle:

Also, Anticipation. PatB making the decision to be reincarnated as Bay and Pinny! Yaaaay! :heart:

* * *

036. Submission (231)

John wasn't gay. He'd spent his ten months of life certain of his orientation, members of the fairer sex catching his roving eye. So he knew that this very odd friendship with Sherlock, a grandson of the _emperor_, was just a friendship. There wasn't anything more to it and, really, he stayed firm in that belief for two entire months.

They weren't characters out of a book, no matter Sherly's bizarre ability to just... know things. Someone who narf'd and poit'd and struck ridiculous poses while wearing a deerstalker and brandishing a magnifying glass, did not a consulting detective make.

Except over the two months, they did solve more than one case together. And he responded when Sherly called him Watson. He never bothered to point out that he was a lawyer rather than a doctor when Sherly tacked the prefix onto his name.

So when the females fell out of his field of vision, leaving a blue-eyed excitable mouse dead center, he didn't notice. When the kiss happened and the excitable declarations of love were spewed, John responded in kind. And when Sherly announced to his entire family, quite out of nowhere, that they were going to be married, John agreed with a smile.

He wasn't gay, however, wouldn't submit to the label. What he was, was in love. And the object of his affections just happened to be male.

037. Infatuation (131)

She giggled, twirling in place and hugging herself tightly. When she stopped, her tail held poised, her gaze fell onto narrowed pink ones. She only squealed, clapping her hands to her reddening cheeks, and twirled again. Oh, he was so cute! And grumpy and scowly and cute!

She stopped again to see if he was still glaring at her. He wasn't, really, seeming more perplexed now. She skipped over to him, lifting up a little to bump their noses together. And as his ears fell and his eyes grew wide, she danced away, holding herself and giggling. She swept up her daughter, smiled brightly at the white mouse over her head, and wagged her tail.

Cyan, from his name to his crookedy staircase tail, was just too adorable not to adore.

038. Anticipation (455)

The decision had been made. Now it was just about waiting for the opportunity to present itself. Waiting was far easier here than it had been there, than it would be once they returned. But he was looking forward to it, looking forward to the chance to fall in love with his partner all over again and take control of the world anew.

Not that the past three leaders hadn't excelled; it would just be nice to retake the reins. He'd only truly had two and a half years of ruling the world. It had taken that long to take it over, and while he was normally a fan of symmetry, this was an exception.

So when the timing was finally right, several months after he and his lover had decided to return, Brain slid his hand into his husband's and gave him a final kiss goodbye. "It's just like when you went on your world tours with Cici, my dear."

"But I can't say I love you, goodnight to you every tomorrow night," he protested, pulling him into another kiss, this one far more fevered and needy.

Brain held him tightly, pressing their noses together. "Then you'll just have to say it as soon as possible when we're together again. And I'll say it to you every single night until it's my turn." Just a week or so, the timing too perfect to resist. And then they'd be together again, for years longer than they once had been. The serum he'd developed in life was extending his family's lives greatly. Sherlock, the first of his grandchildren to have it given to him since birth, was three and a half. Even Pinky hadn't had quite as much energy at that age, so it was working. One day perhaps they'd make it to ten years of age.

Anticipation coiled in his gut, the thought of a new life and new discoveries tantalizing to the megalomaniacal genius. He'd be his own great-great-grandson, which was ridiculous and incredible. And as long as he had Pinky, which he would if the imbecile would just go, the ridiculous and incredible would be perfect.

"Promise, Brain?"

"I promise. We'll be together again soon," he vowed and rubbed their noses together. "Now go. Viola's waiting for you." Just as Annabelle would soon be waiting for him.

"Right, Brain!" A last kiss was shared, deep and quaking and filled with over a lifetime together. "Goodnight! I love you!"

"I love you too, my dear." He held his hands to his husband's face, feeling the warmth beneath his palms. "Goodnight."

With a last wave goodbye, Pinky took the leap and Brain clasped his hands behind his back. It was time to await his turn.

039. Pessimistic (206)

She wouldn't have called herself pessimistic, really. She was an optimist, through and through! The glass was always half full, every cloud had a silver lining, and there was clearly a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow.

But soul mates didn't exist. They were a figment, an impossibility. Sure, her brother and his cagemate had managed to find love in one another. But that wasn't necessarily soul mates. And it didn't guarantee that they'd be together forever. Though if her brother hurt Pinky's big old squishy heart, she'd have to hurt his big old thick head.

She watched the tall, lean mouse with his dark fur and dark eyes leaning over her niece, watching her do her homework and listening intently as she prattled on about her history assignment. And it wasn't the listening adults sometimes did to children, where they nodded but weren't really paying attention. He was focused, responding, and Brie couldn't help but smile when her adorable little niece grinned up at him.

But she quelled the way her heart stirred because soul mates didn't exist and they were just friends. She didn't want to ruin this friendship and just knew she would if she opened her big fat mouth.

040. Jolly (209)

Brain scowled, or tried to scowl, as he was plucked up and twirled. Spinatra singing "Holly Jolly Christmas" had apparently been cause for an immediate dance. It was a mortifying activity for a Christmas morning, their children and grandchildren around them. Niece and nephews and siblings, as well. Their entire family was around them and all were deftly avoided by Pinky's dancing feet. He hummed as they danced, his pace not matching the beat of the music since he knew Brain really would be scowling if he went any faster.

It was their second Christmas since taking over the world, and two month-old children were around only because he'd managed to take it over. His children wouldn't have met their spouses otherwise. It was difficult to keep the scowl on his face and hide the threatening, admittedly jolly smile when those babies giggled squeakily. And the other grandbaby, little Nancy, tried to sing the words of a song she'd never heard before. The word "cheese" was used liberally.

They were adorable, all of them. Every single member of this growing family was precious to him and it became impossible to hide the smile when the song and dance ended and his lips were captured in a warm, Christmas kiss.

* * *

Next time:

Grasping, Agitation, Calm, Astonished, Loneliness


	9. 41, 45

First one and fourth one features more Bay and Pinny! :D I love the idea of reincarnations

Also, as Tuck points out, they're cousins. But they're third cousins and not related by blood, soooo...

Calm is about Feta, PatB's nephew :heart: I love him.

* * *

041. Grasping (902)  
Tick-tock-Tuck just didn't understand. Like her daddy had often told her when she'd been little, he was... struggling to grasp the concept. The five year old mouse smiled to herself, privately preening at her ability to remember. Oh, her daddy would've been proud. Cerebellum wanted to ask him, but he'd been gone a long time. Longer than two years now. The number was fresh in her mind because Cy-Cy had told her just the other day when she'd mentioned how nice it was that they were back again.

He'd looked at her, an owie in his eyes, and told her to stop it, Bella. They were gone and they weren't coming back. It was useless to explain that they were and had. Cy-Cy would have as much trouble grasping the situation as Tuck-Everlasting was. She popped up behind him, not as spry at five as she once had been, but still just as able to surprise family members who weren't expecting her. Tucker, Pinny's dear daddy, wasn't expecting her.

"You're locking Pinny's room again?" she wondered, looking from the fancy lock in his hands to the door of his son's room. She liked that families shared rooms and still had their own, loved the way the castle had grown and changed since it had been erected. Every bedroom was split into multiple sections, each with their own mouse-sized doors. It was like a dollhouse, but still big and fancy and everything her parents had once wanted in their castle.

She wanted to ask them if they were happy with everything that had changed, but the fact that they had returned seemed to be a very big secret. No one mentioned it, no one called them Pinky and Brain anymore. And Pinny called her grandmummy. It was a very odd thing to have your mommy call you grandmummy, but it was also perfectly acceptable. Bella accepted quite a bit when it came to this unique situation.

"Yeah," he replied, fiddling with the lock to make it stronger. Bay was a child; he shouldn't be able to continue getting into his son's room, picking these locks like a professional burglar. It was a bad example for Pinny just as it was a bad example for the rest of the children around their age.

"Why?"

He stopped, looking up at his wife's grandmother. "Why what?"

She blinked big blue eyes at him behind spectacles that matched those of the late, original emperor. She had inherited her mother's eyes, but her father's eyesight. The spectacles somehow made them more magical in their odd, inexplicable power, and he swallowed. He hoped, as he often did, that Viola didn't develop the need for glasses. It was hard enough resisting those blue orbs. "Why are you locking Pinny's room?"

"So Bay can't get in here."

Bella looked from the mouse to the door to the lock and then back at the mouse. "Oh, Tuck, that's silly. Why wouldn't you want Bay to go in there?"

"Because," he gruffed, going back to the lock.

Bella slid closer. "Because why?"

"Because it is isn't _right_. They're kids, but they've been sleeping in the same bed together since Bay opened his eyes. And now Pinny has it in his head that he and Bay are going to get married one day."

With a gasp, the older mouse clasped her hands together. Behind her glasses, blue eyes shone. "Oh, oh! _Narf_! They're getting married! Fun-fun silly-willy!" They already were married in her opinion, but it was so sweet that they were going to do it all over again. But then some of the shine faded in her eyes and she blinked in confusion at her granddaughter's hubby. "Poit. What's not right?"

"Them. Getting married." His eyes rolled when he flicked them up. "They're cousins. Cousins shouldn't marry other cousins."

Her ears fell, eyes growing wide. Oh, no, no, wait. Tucker was trying to keep them apart to keep them apart? Egad! "No!" she exclaimed, taking the lock from him and hugging it to her chest. "Don't be intolerant, Tucker!"

"I'm not _being_ intolerant. I'm saying it's incest."  
She didn't know what that word meant, but she knew it was wrong. It wasn't her mommy and daddy; it wasn't Pinny and Bay. They were in true lovers-love and keeping them apart was wrong, wrong, wrong. She shook her head rapidly. He was worse at grasping than she thought. "They love each other very much, and keeping them away like this isn't fair. _Zort_. True love is very important," she insisted and gave a firm nod. "No more locks."

"Grandma," he tried and she shook her head again.

"Pinny's my grandbaby. He'll find Bay no matter what 'cause they love each other. And you shouldn't stop them. You're not allowed to anymore."

"But they're kids," Tucker argued.

"That doesn't make them wrong. Poit." She thought her own Terry-berry, chasing after him in the big city all alone because her daddy had tried to stand in the way. She wouldn't let Tucker stand in the way. With a firm nod, she turned around and marched out, leaving Tucker flabbergasted behind her and without the lock.

On an irritated huff, he turned away and went to his own room and, nearby, Bay watched from the shadows with perked ears, wide eyes, and the smallest of smiles on his face. Great-Aunt Bella, he mused, grasped the situation perfectly.

042. Agitation (354)

Grandma was always happy, just like her mommy. He liked everything and smiled at her and let her chatter until she was all chattered out and he was a superhero! Grandma was magic and love and hearts and warm cuddles. The little girl was getting cuddles now, trying her best to fight the sniffles.

A big old rat was in grandpa's office, had been escorted in during her math lesson. She was behind Jack, so grandpa gave her special tutoring everyday. He hadn't understood when she'd fallen silent, big eyes wide and round and frightened. But he'd called for grandma quickly and he'd swept in all bright eyes and big smiles. Except then his fur had prickled and he'd swept his little granddaughter up and quickly taken her to the playroom for hugs.

She'd never seen grandma like that before, had wanted to ask, but words had spilled out instead. She told grandma all about the rat who had lived in the cage beside her and her mommy in the pet shop, told him all about the mean things he'd ever said. Grandma hugged and rocked and snuggled and listened to the whole thing before peppering her face with kisses until the sniffles faded into squealy giggles.

"Don't worry. You're grandmummy's Apple pie now, and I won't let anything happen. Poit. No mean old rats will hurt my grandbabies!" Her worries soothed, Pinky swept her up and twirled her around and around before taking her to go see Jack and distract him from his homework.

Neither grandchild noticed him slink off once Autumn was brought into the distraction as well. Neither knew that he needed his own agitations soothed. A rat in their happy bubble boat castle was a no-no, something he immediately told his chubby hubby once they were together and he could groom the rat smell off his lover.

But his own fur didn't settle until the scent was gone and his husband's reassuring words were spoken. "Shh, Pinky, I know. I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting the representative to be a rat anymore than you were. It won't happen again, my dear."

043. Calm (214)

He didn't cry. He'd never told anyone, but he'd cried about it a long time ago when Uncle Brain had first sat him down and told him he was probably going to go blind one day. He'd just nodded and blinked behind already thick frames and said he understood. Then he'd run to hide in a corner of the library and had bawled, surrounding himself with books he'd assumed at the time that he'd never be able to read again.

But now he knew Braille, had so many of his favorite books in that style that it didn't matter. Now he'd had time to practice walking with his cane, seeing the world with his eyes closed as the limited sight he'd had left had started giving him headaches.

So he didn't cry and he didn't panic. He rolled over, listened to his husband's sleepy grumbles as his movements disrupted him. It was his own fault, the fluffy chubby mouse had a habit of snuggling close at night and staying close. With a small smile, the slighter, white-furred mouse nudged their noses together. He could feel his husband's breath on his face, could inhale his scent.

So this was alright. When he closed his eyes again and there was no change, it was perfectly alright.

044. Astonished (284)

"Mommy's not good at hiding things." The voice was surprisingly quiet, considering who it had originated from. But it was the content that really captured her sister's attention. Their parents had been gone for a long time by that point, Bella rarely mentioning them. Or it had been rare since she and Cici had both been granted grandsons who were eerily like their mother and father. Well, both Bay and Pinny were great-grandchildren. They were watching the two of them now, watching several of their grandchildren actually. Cici had wanted to visit the playroom and Bella virtually never left, so the room was filled with playing little ones. And a few big ones, she reflected as Super Mouse swoomed by.

"What do you mean, Bella?"

She pointed at the two eerily familiar young ones, the large-headed one stretched over blueprints, a human-sized pencil clasped in his hands because it felt right. And the taller one was toying with his ear, giggling and distracting him only to get waved away again and again. "Mommy's not good at hiding things," the bespectacled mouse repeated, giving a firm nod.

"Bella... That's Pinny. Pinny and Bay."

Bella gave her a pat, covering her mouth to try and hide the giggles. "Okay, Cici. Whatever you say. Poit."

She bounced away then, as well as a mouse her age could bounce, to go and offer some of her sage wisdom to Super Mouse. And Cici was astounded to realize that her sister had been placating her. "Stop it, Pinky! For the final time!" she heard and her gaze slowly returned to the two plotting mice. And for a moment thought that her daddy wasn't good at hiding things either.

045. Loneliness (224)

He was surrounded by people. Several dignitaries had arrived in Los Angeles specifically for this meeting, these negotiations. The majority of Southern Africa wasn't happy, their diamond trade still hampered by thieves and criminals. Their countries bombarded by famine and warfare. They'd been promised a fix, they'd been promised world peace. And Brain hadn't managed to deliver.

Granted, he'd only been emperor for six months and so many changes could only happen a little at a time. But they wanted everything immediately, so it took so much of his plotting abilities to create a plan that they would agree to. It promised food, it promised peace, it promised justice - it just required time. More time, it turned out, than many of the leaders were willing to give.

They had threatened mutiny, war, so Brain had called them to his country to seek terms.

And it was a successful day. An agreement was reached, papers were signed and Brain was finally able to nap. Except he couldn't.

LA wasn't far from his Burbank castle, but it was far enough. Far enough to miss his family, his husband. Far enough from his own bed to allow him to sleep comfortably. So instead of staying the night as planned, he was brought home. And as he curled up beside his husband, the loneliness was chased away.

* * *

Next time:

Lust, Longing, Tender, Hard, Rebirth


	10. 46, 50

All of these are just sweet and cute, except Rebirth which is bittersweet...

I feel so bad for Brie, but when a character insists on dying in my head, I have to let them :c

* * *

046. Lust (428)  
It wasn't allowed on plans. Pinky tended to get distracted far too easily in normal circumstances for there not to be a specific rule. No love things. No mention of love things. Such thoughts had to be saved for after the plan. And even then it was The Brain who tended to bring the subject up unless Pinky kissed him in the middle of his rants. But his companion knew the rule very well; it was one thing amongst very few that Brain had managed to ingrain on those very lonely two brain cells.

It was detrimental, then, to alter the situation. But it was difficult to resist when faced with a new situation, particularly since the megalomaniac was very much interested in getting what he wanted when he wanted it. As this was the first plan he'd required Pinky to dress up since the pair had become far more than mere friends, he was dealing with quite a new situation.

The attractiveness of him in those form-fitting skirts, those red, red lips, and those big blue eyes had always been something he'd been able to ignore in the past. Not with ease, but he'd managed it. But that was before he'd known how those lips had tasted or how dark those eyes could get or how mobile and flexible that body was.

He knew now, could think of little else when his lover flitted by in that slinky pink dress suit - "Oh, Brain, it's fetching like your eyes! It's like I'll have them on me all night! _Zort_." He couldn't have known how right he'd be about that, but it was distracting him from the plan. He'd never pull off this real estate ploy if he couldn't focus long enough to give their clients details on the property Brain didn't actually own.

But the desire continued prickling under his skin to the point where he ended up falling on his face because Pinky had passed a little too close. "Brain?" Concerned, Pinky knelt down and, for a moment, forgot that he'd selected a short skirt. The smaller mouse got a glimpse of blue panties and his mind simple short-circuited. He crushed their lips together, hard and demanding and not caring in the least that the humans were still in the room. He dragged his husband through a crack in the wall and the sounds of their squeaky love songs carried through the empty house and sent the humans on their way.

The plan failed, Brain's rule had been broken. And he didn't care in the slightest.

047. Longing (418)

It was something they had in common that neither of them knew. And they knew each other very well after two and a half months of marriage and two and a half months of courtship. They knew hopes and dreams and fears, where to touch to tickle or entice. But there was one thing they both kept quiet from one another because neither knew how to broach the subject.

It was especially difficult for Feta, who knew so well how easily a baby could be born to two male mice. Romy and the twins were all clones; he and Teddy could have a clone. They could have a baby and raise him and be a happy little trio until the baby grew and married and had babies of his or her own. He wasn't picky.

Theodore was picky. He wanted a boy. He didn't know much more than that, but he wanted a boy. And he wanted one with Feta. He drew his lover a bit closer, nudging his ear with his nose, and smiled at the quiet giggles that escaped from the fluffy white mouse. "I wonder if he'd have your fur or mine," he murmured, studying the contrasting deep gray of his own arm to the pure white of his partner's. "Perhaps both."

Feta was quiet a moment, the sleepy, contented tone of his husband making him wonder if he had any idea that he'd spoken aloud. He rolled over, bumping their noses together by practice as his vision had vanished just after they'd wed. "Maybe he," because if Teddy wanted a boy, so did Feta, "will be pudgy like you."

He felt the light scoff, his partner's lips so close to his own. "I'm hardly pudgy. It's fluff."

The slighter mouse wound himself a little tighter around his husband, smile fond, and melded against the chubby tummy. _He_ was fluff; his darling husband was pudgy. "Right. Fluff."

"Don't patronize me. Our son won't be patronizing." _Their son_. Feta's smile brightened and had he been able to see, he would've seen golden eyes springing open. But he heard the little, "Ah... Assuming, of course, that you would want one. A child. They're quite the responsibility."

Giggling, Feta drew him into a kiss and wriggled happily against him. "I want a baby, Teddy."

Theodore's chuckle was low, his pudgy tummy rumbling against his husband's and causing him to giggle a bit more. "Then I suppose we'll have to have one. Soon."

"Very soon," the white mouse agreed.

048. Tender (622)

It always came as a surprise. It shouldn't have, but his husband was so energetic, so wild, so carefree. It was difficult for the megalomaniac to pair something that never stopped moving - and moving quickly - with the slow motions required for something like this. And yet it happened. It happened often enough that it really should've stopped being a surprise at some point, but he supposed the day he stopped being surprised by his lover would be the day he started falling out of love with him.

That, of course, was just never going to happen.

But he had such a headache. He'd dreaded going to bed that night after even his family had done nothing but get on his nerves at dinner. It had taken the last of his patience to not glare at shy little Jack, and Pinky had already received a bop that evening. So he wasn't looking forward to dealing with his imbecilic husband before bed.

He crawled beneath the blanket without informing him that he was even lying down early, leaving him to play with Bella and Terry in the playroom. He wasn't aware that his daughter and the boy had a date planned or that Pinky was looking for him. He was really only aware of the pounding in his skull at that point, his body curled up tightly in defense against it, his hands pulling his ears down and holding them flat while his eyes squeezed shut against any sort of light that may dare show its presence.

It was nights like these, nights that he had to pack so much into his mind that he wondered if he shouldn't start passing duties on to his daughter. More than just the occasional world tour, but it was still so difficult to think of her as anything but a baby. No matter that she'd given him a grandson. His headache, however, was being rather insistent. She could take on one or two things. And while he was loathe to give up France, the only country he'd never dipped in numbers, that would be the easiest for his girl to work with at first.

Thinking was starting to hurt, which was a big problem for the brilliant emperor. His intellect demanded constant thought unless he was sleeping and, at the moment, thoughts and pain were exactly what was keeping him from that blessed state. Well, those and the distinct lack of two extremely important phrases.

He let out a low, pained moan when the pillow he was on shifted. And then a warm body curled around him, making him tense. Every single motion and every single sound had pain exploding behind his eyes, the emperor self-diagnosing this as the worst migraine in recorded history.

But then the kisses started. Soft brushes of warm lips, rubbing against his head and down his back. Slow and light, teasing his tail until it relaxed, and then up his spine again until he'd uncurled to provide complete, instinctive access. His hands fell away from his ears as a second pair lifted, massaging his temples with a tenderness that swept through the small, big-headed mouse in a way that had him moaning for an entirely different reason.

The kisses continued, the gentle hands leaving his head to glide through the fur of the rest of his body. And as his mind was swept away, sleep finally beginning to take hold, he felt one of those tender kisses at his lips. "Goodnight, Brain," was the whisper that swelled his heart. "I love you."

It always came as a surprise, but he always loved his husband that much more after a display of such careful tenderness. "I love you too, dear. Goodnight."

049. Hard (344)

It wasn't easy, by any means. The megalomaniacal mouse was extremely used to teaching all of his family the same way. The only one who had ever required any sort of special instruction had been Feta, and he'd been able to see long enough that his visual impairment had never been detrimental in the classroom.

With his granddaughter, things were different. It was difficult to teach any of his grandchildren in the same classroom setting, their ages and learning levels vastly different, but he went through basics anyway and treated it like a one-room schoolhouse of old. But little Rosie was never present during those sessions; it just wasn't practical. She couldn't hear his instruction and she was still too small to follow the sign language at the speed with which he spoke. She couldn't hear her cousins and siblings asking their questions and with them all still learning to communicate with their hands, it would take even more time.

He ruled the world. He just couldn't spend all day in a classroom; it just wasn't practical, however much he would've liked to have them all together. He knew Rosie was lonely when all of her cousins were in a classroom, though he also knew she enjoyed the time she got with grandma all to herself. They didn't need to communicate properly to love, though he absolutely adored Pinky for trying as hard as he did.

He also knew that Rosie's brother, Neo, was excessively jealous of the one on one instruction his baby sister required, but there was simply no way to alter things. This worked and he just wished his grandson would learn to understand that. And perhaps he would one day.

But for now, they would just have to muddle through. And muddle they did, The Brain sighing when the little girl failed to subtract two digit numbers properly. Again. He gave her a nuzzle to assuage the threatening tears, the little girl as frustrated as he was, and continued on.

It wasn't easy, but it would be worth it.

050. Rebirth (472)

Another grandson. Even while she smiled, there was an ache in her heart that just wouldn't go away. It had been hanging there since her husband's sudden passing, would prod her at the oddest of moments. And it prodded her now, even though she truly was happy. He was just so cute. Pink and ugly, but just so cute in the way newborns tended to be. The little boy squeaked, his grandmother pressing a kiss to his wrinkled brow before passing him back to his mother. "Someone's hungry."

"That he is," she agreed, nuzzling the boy and adjusting him so he could eat properly.

"Mama, don't cry."

She turned her watery gaze on her son, felt that pang again. He just looked so much like his papa. Tall and dark-furred with eyes that just glittered with pride like they were now. His green cap was off, the five starred symbol of his rank settled atop his wife's head. For good reason, Brie would argue. "I'm not crying. I'm happy. I've got one year-old grandson and one newborn. Craziness."

"Happy crying is still crying, mama." Gene, the one child her Leuk had named, drew her out of her chair and into a tight hug.

"Happy crying is better than normal crying," she argued, wiping her eyes just to please him. She knew all of her children couldn't stand her tears. Even Bleu was still home with her family, which she was endlessly grateful for. It was just more loudness at the dinner table, drowning out the fact that her lover was absent.

"You can tell her not to cry all you want, lad. It's a grandmother's privilege and you'll not take it from her."

Brie let out a laugh, drawing out of the hug to smile at her daughter-in-law. "Myrna, have I told you lately that I love you?"

"I'm beginning to think you tell me more than your son does." She rocked the baby when he was done, pressing light kisses to his brow. "Oh, you'd best enjoy your time alone, laddie. Your sister's going to be so excited to see you come mornin'. She won't give you a moment's rest."

"It's a sister's privilege," Brie pointed out. "Trust me." She went over to the bed, stroking his tiny head gently. "What's his name, or haven't you come up with one yet?"

"Of course we came up with one." Myrna's smile softened, Brie's racing heart understanding before she did. She looked from her daughter-in-law to her son.

Gene stepped closer, wrapping an arm around his mother's waist. "His name's Leuk, mama."

"Oh... Oh, way to keep me from crying," she blubbered, pressing her face into her son's side while the tears began to fall. Gene held her tight, squeezed his eyes closed to keep his own at bay, and rocked her gently.

* * *

Next time:

Amused, Broken, Abused, Tranquil, Composed


	11. 51, 55

There are a few with Apple in this one XD

One where she's all grown up and one where she's a little girl, lol

I love her, though. She's adorable :D

And she's Cyan's adopted daughter

Also, mentions of Snowball, bitty Brain, and Brain's Alzheimer's D:

This set just jumps all over

* * *

051. Amused (258)

It was the squeal that caught his attention. Far from unusual in their home, but it was normally relegated to the playroom behind him and not to the hallway in front of his office. He rose, snatching up his cane and quickly making it to the door. When he peered out, it was his oldest granddaughter. She skidded to a stop when she saw him, the squeal only breaking for a minute before she grabbed him in an exuberant, bouncing hug.

"Apple, what on earth is this all about?"

"I'm having a baby!" she exclaimed, twirling again. "I have to tell daddy!" She scrambled down the hall, resuming her squeals, and had no idea that her grandfather was gaping at her. He'd heard wrong; he had to have heard wrong. He didn't have grandchildren old enough to have babies. He wasn't going to be a great-grandfather in a month's time. That simply... wasn't possible.

But then his son was in his office, pacing atop his desk and grumbling similar denials. "I can't be a grandfathew!" he exclaimed, a w slipping in with his upset. "I'm not even two!"

Brain couldn't help the way his lips twitched, a glint in his pink gaze betraying his amusement at the situation. His own denials were forgotten easily. "It's your fault for becoming a father before you were one."

He stopped pacing, the glare he threw the emperor's way only making his lips tug more insistently. Brain lifted a hand to hide the threatening smile, and let his son continue his pacing.

052. Broken (139)

Once, they'd been friends. They'd gone through experiment after experiment together, hand in hand. And the mouse had looked up to his hamster friend, taking his squeaky opinions and cherishing them as fact, even when they were rude. They were friends, so a bit of rudeness was okay. It was just the way his friend was!

Until the splicer. It turned his rudeness into something more, into something so much worse. It turned him mean, evil. He was a user, taking the plans the mouse was able to come up with and implementing them for his own selfish gain.

Until a particularly violent tantrum had him being forcibly removed from their home, splitting them up and taking him away until the hamster returned to enact his revenge.

And the mouse had to somehow patch the break in his heart.

053. Abused (176)

To them, he was nothing more than a lab experiment. A difficult one at that because he shivered and quaked and didn't want to go where they wanted him to go. But he was just a little thing, snatched away from the field unexpectedly by these creatures he'd never seen before. They frightened him and he strongly disliked the feeling of fear.

He also discovered, and very quickly, that he strongly disliked the way a kink in his tail felt. He yelped and yipped when it happened, squeaking to be put down to no avail. Not until he was settled in a maze could he take a hold of the pink appendage and examine the damage. Bent permanently because a scientist had carried him by it, allowed him to swing too quickly.

The little thing squeaked pitifully, hugging the appendage, and refused to complete the maze. There was another kink when he was deposited into his cage later and he cried, hiding in his straw bedding when his tail stayed that way. Broken and ruined forever.

054. Tranquil (339)

He was in his rocking chair, the wooden item fashioned by one of his grandnephews. Rodoric was so good with his hands, whether he was carving or doctoring, but The Brain didn't remember that. He didn't remember a lot of things now, at least not with his mind. His hands remembered, though, drawing things his eyes didn't recognize.

There was a mouse at his feet, long and lean and tucked in a ball that would cause his back to ache later. He'd been tired after a rough bout of play he was really too old for, but he had great-grandbabies and great-grandnephews and nieces. And they were too cute not to play with! And Super Mouse still needed his sage wisdom, so he had to spend as much time in the playroom as possible. Even though that wasn't nearly as often as it once had been.

Even though his husband was no longer in the office next door. Cici was in there more often now because on his last good day, Brain had realized that his heir was taking up her own bedroom with world ruler duties and had ordered her to put a stop to that for her husband's sake. "You're not empress in your bedroom, Cerebral Cortex. You're married in your bedroom."

"But it's your office, daddy."

"Don't be ridiculous." He'd waved impatiently, his husband fawning over every grumpy-growly gesture. "It's the world ruler's office. It is _your_ office."

But today wasn't a good day. It was a day where too much activity made him nervous and withdrawn, so he was allowed to stay in his chair and draw. He almost seemed tranquil, his foot occasionally rubbing against his husband's back as he rocked. But his hands moved deftly, a small smile on his face as he drew the original Super Mouse. There were three generations now, each one different from the last but still dedicated to protecting the world one dust bunny at a time.

"Swoom," he murmured, content with the inanity he couldn't quite remember.

055. Composed (749)

She couldn't sleep. She tried everything - rolling onto her belly, her back, both sides, hanging her head off the edge of the little foam mattress (they'd had bubble wrap for a little while, but mommy just loved popping them all) - but none of it worked. Her eyes stayed open and her mind kept talking. It wasn't fun talking, either, but the kind that wondered why she wasn't sleeping. Not very helpful at all.

She sniffled a little because it was late and she was sleepy and she wouldn't be a very good daughter the next day if sleepiness bogged her down, not letting her play with her silly, precious, wonderful mommy. She thought of these things, even though she was only two and a half months old, because for two and a half months she'd been the only company her hyperactive parent had. And vice versa.

There was new company now, and Apple had seen them kiss earlier that day. It made her tail wag a little because mommy had sprung about their little cage with all the happiness in the whole world after. But it made her worry, too, because what did it mean? Was she going to have a new daddy? She couldn't remember the old one, not even if she squinted real hard, but the grumpy Cyan would still be a new one.

She stuck her thumb in her mouth, humming around it since it made her feel better. Her head tingled all funny, but it wasn't helping her sleep. With a gusty little noise, she tried hanging her head over the side of the bed but tried too hard and slipped. Her frightened squeal was cut off before it could begin, though, strong arms catching her before her head could collide with the unforgiving floor. She'd grown very familiar with these arms over the days he'd been with them, so reached out with big eyes and more sniffles.

"I can' s'eep 'cause."

There was a beat of silence, him waiting for her to continue, but he only sighed when she didn't. "You need to sleep, little miss," he grumbled.

"Yeah." Her ears fell. He grumbled and grumped lots, but he also saved her from the mouse-rat nextdoor and gave her hugs and let her ramble and now he gave mommy kisses. But she was tired, so the grumbles made her worry that she'd done something wrong. "I is try, but can'. Mommy tell s'ory for bed 'cause I like s'ories. S'ories make s'eep."

Maybe-new daddy rolled his eyes, perching atop her bed and cradling her in his lap. "Mommy's asleep," he grumbled, like he had been since the quiet sniffling and shuffling of blankets nearby had awakened him. He'd nearly woken her mother up, but then the little thing had slipped and, well, there he was.

He watched her ears fall, the pouty little lips quivering, and sighed heavily. "I'll tell you a story."

"Wif kang'roos."

"Sure. With kangaroos." He'd heard of odder things, so managed to weave a tale for the little girl fairly easily. The world, and kangaroos, were in peril due to an imminent atomic meltdown. She had no idea what it meant when he said "and then the atom became _unstable_!" but the suspense in his tone had her gasping anyway, and when Super Mouse and Mini-Mouseketeer came to save the day her big blue eyes sparkled.

Mommy's stories weren't quite like this. They were long and rambling and absolutely lovely nonsense, but this had something she didn't quite comprehend yet. Her lids grew heavy as he weaved the tale, his grumbly voice low and soft and the best lullaby, but she had to hold them open because the kangaroos and all of their babies were in trouble.

But once the day was saved and Super Mouse and Mini-Mouseketeer swoomed off into the night, she let her eyes close and purred softly. Maybe-new daddy was petting her gently, soothing her and her restlessness. "You tell bes' s'ories in whole world," she purred tiredly and missed a little flicker in his pink gaze.

"Yeah," he said quietly, "I do. But you need your sleep."

"I like s'eep 'cause... 'cause..." Her reasons were drowned out by a yawn and the little thing fell asleep right in his lap.

He gave her a gentle nuzzle, pressed a kiss to the little brow since no one was awake to see the affections, and carefully tucked her in before returning to his own bed.

* * *

Next time:

Glad, Stress, Serenity, Colorful, Coping


	12. 56, 60

Neal! He's Myrna's little brother and ends up married to Bella's oldest child, Nancy.

And Stress is from an idea skimmingsurfaces and I had ages ago wherein Pinky gets turned into quite the sexual deviant when one of Brain's plans go awry~

It was never written fully and honestly forgotten about on my end until I started writing Stress XD

And then, of course, we have to end on a sad note. Guh. I wish Brain and his Alzheimer's hadn't popped into my head so much whilst writing this!

* * *

056. Glad (367)

He was Irish, so he'd seen plenty of castles. Not many that weren't damaged in some way, but he'd seen them nonetheless. This one still filled him with butterflies because the emperor lived there. His own sister lived there now that she'd married one of the emperor's nephews, but... It was impossible to think of it as his elder sister's home. It was the _emperor's_ castle.

When she'd called to inform him that he'd be coming to America to stay with her for a bit and meet the rest of the family, he'd promptly told her no and gotten his ear chewed off for it. Myrna had always had a temper on her, he reflected as the human carried him inside, and once it flared, it was always best to let her have her way. At least that's the way it had been in his case. Her husband could make her mad and laugh in the same breath, but he supposed that was part of the ridiculousness of being in love.

When he was settled on a table in a parlor, the human bowed slightly and exited the room. He'd never been bowed to before, the youngest child of two mice who'd been happier with owners than with freedom. His little pub back home had been started with sheer will and more than one lucky charm; he hated that it was running without him for two weeks while he acquainted himself with a bunch of strangers.

"Hi!" someone chirped, waving at him from the floor.

He peered over the edge, clearing his throat before waving back. She was a pretty thing, he mused. "Hello," he greeted.

"Oh, you're Myrna's brother!" She clasped her hands together, bouncing in place. "Neal!"

"Aye, that'd be me." He tipped his hat to her, her delighted giggles traveling easily to him and making him feel far more comfortable in this mighty castle. "And who would you be?"

"Nancy. I'm one of Gene's cousins."

He climbed from the table to offer his hand and greet her properly. "Glad to meet you, Miss Nancy," he told her and was perplexed by her explanation that it was just Nancy. Miss Nancy was her envelope name.

057. Stress (491)

It wasn't what had been supposed to happen. It hadn't been the plan that either of them be affected by the machine he'd created, at least not before it had been completed. He'd intended to use it on himself, to increase sexual magnetism. The world responded to those they were attracted to and he was convinced that they would've placed him in charge if he'd been able to use the machine as planned.

Instead, Pinky had tripped and stumbled by during one of his test runs. Not wearing the foil body armor The Brain had created (after chewing it to pieces, he'd come to ask for another), he'd been zapped by a stray test beam. And upon awakening, he'd seemed perfectly normal. It had been more irritating then as it demonstrated that the test had failed completely.

His plan was failing completely.

It had set his teeth on edge and he'd dismissed Pinky as being just fine when his husband had opened bleary blue eyes. He'd reached up, touching his cheek, and his eyes had slowly focused on Brain's. He'd been too irritated to see anything beyond the normal excited, happy expression in the blue depths, so had given him a pat and walked away with relieved grumbling.

Now he was regretting that. His plan had taken an entirely different turn because he'd needed a part to make the machine work the way he'd wanted it to. So he and his partner had left for the hardware store with him having to tell Pinky to stop touching him more and more as time went on. His ear, his head, his back, his shoulders, his tail.

His _tail_! The sensitive crooked appendage winged up as Brain spun around, color high in his cheeks. "Pinky! You know better than that! Enough!"

The blue-eyed mouse only slid closer, grasping Brain's upper arms and lifting him. He pressed him to a cardboard display, that long, lean frame close and mobile. Brain glared at him, writhing to get away. "Pinky, what on earth is the meaning-" He broke off on a gasp, feeling a throbbing muscle against his thigh. "_Pinky_!" he snapped, blushing furiously. They were in _public_! And, more importantly, in the middle of a plan! What did his husband think he was doing?

But then he saw the look in his partner's eyes, dazed beneath all that aroused hunger. And he knew. That stray beam had done something very, very bad. Rather than sexually magnetized, he'd been sexually charged. Brain swallowed hard when his husband sang squeakily into his ear. He had to fix that machine, get it to return his lover back to normal, and he had to do so before the hormonal stressors became too much for his partner's simple mind.

A hand snaked between his legs, causing the megalomaniac to yelp and arch.

He had to fix that machine before the stressors on Pinky's mind became too much for his own.

058. Serenity (371)

There was a pool in the castle, one besides the one full of jello, that The Brain had wanted. They were beside each other, which the emperor regretted at times when he came in and could see tracks of green leading from one room to the other. Typically the footprints came from Pinky and Cerebellum, but there were times when there were more sets. Feta was fond of the jello pool and Gene enjoyed daring his sister to jump in. Even Brie would leap in from time to time and drag her husband alongside her. And, sadly, even he had landed in the ridiculous pool more than once.

But he preferred this one, with its water kept at a comfortable temperature at all times, clear and free of chlorine. Pinky liked to drink the water too much for him to feel safe chlorinating the water. Even his iron stomach wouldn't sustain that for long, and Brain preferred the cleanly feel of warm water over the sterile feel of chlorination.

He kicked lazily to keep away from the wall before he got too close, floating contently on his back. He had taken a break from his work in secret, wanting to relieve his frustration. The American Congress chose the worst times to agree on something. He was struggling to return them to the gold standard in order to reduce inflation, and he'd grown tired of the addendums and the lobbyists and the lawyers trying to get in his way. He hadn't taken over the world to get bullied into a corner by a bunch of lawyers who were dumber than he was.

The thought process was stressing him out again, so he did a few backstrokes until the languid feeling settled in his body again. Pinky would be pleased, he mused. He'd skipped his twenty minute run the past few days, buried in work, so this seemed to be a fair trade off. Or at least that's what he'd convince Pinky of if need be.

He sighed contentedly, pink eyes closing as he floated serenely in the pool. And then he heard the giggling, the footsteps, and then, "Brain!"

"Daddy!"

Two splashes followed, his serenity shattered by blue-eyed mice and lime-green jello.

059. Colorful (208)

Colorful, the woman thought as she gazed at the family. They were big and loud and it was difficult for the human to keep track of all twelve names, faces. One human and eleven mice who all looked so similar to her, the distinguishable mouse at the head of the table only recognizable because of the size of his head and the spectacles on his nose. Their distinguished emperor... was bright red because his husband was toying with his ear and giggling at him. She heard the embarrassed, "Stop it, dear, we have company," only because she was listening closely.

But as she scanned the table once again, she was just a little overwhelmed. It was just a table of mice, yes, and all of them seemed so similar to her. They all had the same white fur, all but two with pink eyes.

Yet they were colorful - a pea was flicked across the table by an irritated looking little boy who was immediately scolded by both emperor and second-in-command - in personality. And it was colorful that she used in her article, colorful that the royal family became associated with especially when their family began to grow and the pelts were slowly no longer just white.

060. Coping (288)

His method of choice was to deny it, and he tried that for a while until the diagnosis became official.

Once it became clear that he couldn't deny what had been medically proven, his method of choice was to fight it. He threw himself into the cause of finding a cure, enlisting the aid of his son and his nephew-in-law. He would stop it before it got unmanageable.

He soon realized that finding a cure wasn't going to be simple, genius or not. His field was engineering, not medicine. And while he was extremely knowledgeable on the topic, it just wasn't his expertise. His next method of choice was management. Sticky notes gave him instruction, knowledge that was slowly being sapped from him. He doubled his usual dosage of his serum to slow the progression. He played games in his mind, geared towards improving and assisting the memory he had once taken for granted. He threw himself into his memoirs in earnest in order to preserve that memory on pages.

But even these methods began to fail, unable to be sustained forever while his son and nephew continued seeking a cure without him. So his final method was simple acceptance. He chose his words more carefully, battled his temper with more fierceness so he wouldn't unleash it upon those he loved. He wrapped up what projects could be wrapped up and gave his eldest daughter full control of everything that remained.

He loved his family, did his best to make sure they knew it. So when he could no longer cope with the damage his mind was doing to itself and the good days slipped into worse days, he could do so without regrets tearing at his heart.

* * *

Next time:

Boisterous, Placid, Tired, Bliss, Neglect


	13. 61, 65

More Apple! She's still kind of little, but she really is pretty smart. Since she's a pet shop mouse and all :)

And then sadness except Brain's okay with it, so mixed feelings :/

Then he's holding Ox and Perry! Which, I just realized, is hilarious. Perry ends up being Bay's, Brain's reincarnation, dad!

Then an episode! Bonus points to whoever can guess which episode I'm referencing XD

Then Bella has a conversation with her daddy! About Terry-berry :heart: So we're ending on a happy-ish note~

* * *

061. Boisterous (427)

Her inside didn't match her outside, which frustrated her sometimes. Usually it was right before bed, when she was lying in her room with the mouse-sized stuffed kangaroo clutched in her hands. She liked kangaroos; the babies got to stay with their mommies for a really long time, all safe and tucked away. She liked feeling safe, felt it more here at the big giant big castle than she did anywhere else in the whole world.

Not that she'd seen much of the world, spending the first two months in a cage and all. But new daddy had told her that he'd take her to see the world one day soon. He'd only added the soon after she'd chattered his ear off about all the places and things there were to see.

She chattered everyone's ear off, which was the problem. She didn't want to. She could see the way she annoyed them, could see the way she barrelled right over whatever response they may have to keep going. And she really, really wished she knew how to stop doing that.

New daddy may have assured her before that he cared her and loved her whole bunches, but she had lots of new family now. She had a brand new cousin, and he was even her age! And aunts and an uncle! And grandparents! It wasn't just her and her mommy anymore and a mean old mouse-rat neighbor. She'd told grandma all about the rat and he'd listened to her with the biggest blue eyes and then he'd held and held her and told her not to ever listen to mean old rats because they were mean. And old. And not even old in the cute way like grandpa!

Apple smiled, lifting her kangaroo to her nose to nuzzle her and her baby. She loved her grandparents and all the rest of her new family. She just really, really wanted them to love her too. But she didn't know how to do that with a closed mouth, even seeing the annoyance brewing in their eyes.

She rolled onto her side, gazing at the little star night-light grandpa had given her after she'd talked to him about stars. They were so pretty and she hadn't gotten to see them before new daddy had taken her and mommy away. And grandma had even told her a special rhyme just for wishes. Eyes slipping shut, the outline of the star dotting the insides of her eyelids, she wished her shy insides better matched her boisterous outsides and drifted off to sleep.

062. Placid (185)

He'd thought he would worry more. He'd thought he would be struggling against this knowledge, beating at it until it stayed away. He'd thought he wouldn't be ready, would never be ready. Hadn't he created his serum just for this? Preventing this day and what it would bring when the sun set.

There wasn't even fear when he realized it was going to be his last sunset, just a gentle calm that had held him together through most of the day. But the thought of sunset changed his plans. He asked multiple times to be taken to the library before threatening to just walk there himself. He wanted to see the sunset with his husband, nevermind that he couldn't actually get out of bed. And Cyan was given an approving look and pat when he'd finally sighed and stopped trying to convince Cici otherwise.

He leaned against the taller mouse now, both of them grayed with age and so near their time. But as the sun sank beyond the horizon and marked the end of their last day, the smaller of the two only smiled.

063. Tired (414)

Occipital and Parietal were three days late. The Brain was perfectly alright with that, relieved even. For the past three days he'd been forgetful and stumbling, had scowlingly demanded to know where his ridiculous sister was the day before only to have Gene very quietly tell him that she was gone. He'd had to explain twice in the same hour.

So it was good that Neocortex's twin boys had waited. The former emperor hadn't wanted to miss the births, his fretting what had possibly caused the three-day lapse. Things became more difficult to remember when he was stressed.

Once word of the arrival reached him, he was quick to make his way to Neo and Frances's room. He wobbled a little on his cane, but had been hiding the increasing unsteadiness of his legs. At least now he could blame any wobbling on the excitement of new great-grandchildren. His daughter, the new grandma, was quick to have him settled in a chair anyway, ignoring his scowl.

Pinky flitted from person to person, the shine in his blue eyes as bright as it had ever been even if his motions had been slowed by age. New cute great-grandbabies to play with, though he couldn't play as long or as freely as he once had. Brain smiled at him, small and warm. But he was distracted when the fur of a different mouse blocked his vision. He looked up, met cocky, prideful blue eyes, and the smile held. The arrogant little boy had grown into an arrogant father.

"If you've only brought them over here to hold them above my head, I shall have to hurt you," he said quietly and was grinned at.

"No, grandpa. I think I know better than that."

"We would all like to think you do," he teased lightly, pink eyes lighting with a glee that was harder to hide than it once had been once he had the twins in his arms. Parietal and Occipital - it warmed his heart to know that his grandson at least had sense enough to give his children intelligent names. He rocked carefully in the chair when Occipital's tiny pink brow scrunched, rubbing his nose over the wrinkles to soothe them, and knew that this one was going to be difficult. He'd held enough difficult newborns by that point to know.

But he loved him anyway, both of them, and held them until his arms grew weary. Then, of course, he just kept holding.

064. Bliss (168)

It was heavenly, floating in a large claw-footed tub. No one had squished them, no one was questioning his rule. He was in charge of the entire palace, with servants and underlings. The world was just a few short steps away, but he didn't think of that now. He climbed onto the pink bar of soap, lying on his back with his arms folded behind his head. He floated with his eyes shut, listening to his companion playing nearby. Pinky was happy, The Brain was content. And, for a few moments, all was blissful and calm.

Until his mind reminded him that he hadn't earned this. It was just a case of mistaken identity. France wasn't his because he wasn't really Napoleon. No one was hailing Brain; they were all bowing to Napoleon. Only then, his mood shattered, did he begin to grow irritated with his sidekick. He threw a rubber duck at him just because and wished he could be happy with piggybacking on someone else's success.

065. Neglect (306)

"Daddy, what's neglected?"

The emperor looked up with a small start, fingers pausing over the keys, his thoughts cut off midstream. He blinked, gazing at his blue-eyed daughter with apprehension. "I..." He settled his hands in his lap, clearing his throat as discomfort settled around him. "Why do you ask, Cerebellum?"

"Before Cy-Cy left, he said I have to be careful with Terry-berry because he's neglected. And that he might not understand the way I treat him." There was a pause, both father and daughter mulling this over, before, "Troz."

Brain rose, wandering over to his little girl, the only child who had enough sense not to grow taller than him. "Neglected means..." He'd been dreading this explanation, had hoped he wouldn't ever have to give it. And now he was dreading the scolding he was going to have to give his son over the phone that evening. "It means that Terry's spent a lot of his life being ignored. Certain needs of his may have been met, but not to a proper degree. And certainly not all of them. It makes him very vulnerable."

There was a long, long stretch of silence wherein the young mouse processed all of this information. She'd tried very hard to listen to all of her daddy's words, but sometimes it was so hard to follow them all. But this was for her Terry-berry so it was very important. Slowly, as she could see her father's attention on her dwindling, Bella nodded. "And shy."

Surprise flickered in pink eyes. "And shy, yes."

She took another moment to ponder, even though there was a dull pain beginning to ache between her eyes. But then her bright smile blossomed and she was hugging herself tightly. "That's okay, daddy! I have so much love for Terry-berry that he'll never feel neglected again! _Narf_!"

* * *

Next time:

Fine, Question, Energetic, Noble, Disgust


	14. 66, 70

Another one's going up because HAPPY HALLOWEEN :pumpkin:  
Except none of these have anything to do with Halloween, but whatever :XD: Shut up and enjoy.

* * *

066. Fine (525)

She was shaking as the little casket was lowered, hugging herself tightly - too tightly - but there was no one else to hug. Her babies, her lovely triplets, they were all married and had their spouses to hug. And their babies were all helping their parents cope with the so sudden loss. Who was going to help her cope?

It was Feta who took the first shovel, breaking away from his husband and using the tool like his cane until the first bit of dirt could be put into the hole with confidence. The tears were flowing from his eyes freely, reminding her of how painfully dry hers were, and she began to tremble despite the unusual warmth in the spring morning air.

His heart, Theodore had said. All of the experiments he'd gone through back in the lab, his age... It had caught up with him and now he was gone. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair. He was hers! He was _hers_ and she hadn't given him permission! They were both younger than her brother and he was already five! How could Leuk leave her so soon? They were supposed to hold on together, see more of their grandchildren, great-grandchildren. Genie had been married such a short time; there was only one grandbaby from them and the other on the way. He'd never get to see their new grandbaby! How was that fair? How was that right? It wasn't. It wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't!

Because this is what that serum of her brother's had been meant to prevent. He was extending their lives, making them last years beyond their normal time. And the children, too, were starting to take it at such a young age. He and Teddy were both hoping that it would become genetic through the repeated generations. It wouldn't surprise her if one day the mice in their family lived half as long as humans.

Except, as she watched her children bury their father, she knew she wouldn't. She refused. He'd gone without her permission and she'd just have to go up there and scold him for it. No more of that serum for her, she vowed. She'd meet the grandbaby Leuk never would and then she'd go. She couldn't stay; not with her heart buried in the ground.

"Gram?" Rodoric murmured, the other little doctor and the oldest of her grandbabies. And hadn't Leuk been so proud on his birthday? The proudest grandfather in the whole world. She offered him a smile since he seemed so very upset and was given a hug that nearly broke her to pieces. Soft and gentle and so much like his grandfather. She couldn't even look at Genie yet. "I'm sorry, Gram. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, mazik. No one was expecting this; there's nothing you could have done." She gave him the smallest of smiles when he drew back. "Things like this just happen to mice and you learn to accept it in the field. It's fine. I'm fine." But she wasn't. She so wasn't. He was gone and nothing would ever be fine again.

067. Question (456)

It tore him to pieces. Such a soft, shyly uttered wondering from his grandson. His only grandson. The first grandchild he'd ever been given asking why he didn't like him. It was a blow to something much more shaky than his pride - it hit his heart hard and he couldn't even offer assurances because the child had run so suddenly.

Brain's first instinct was to run after him, stop him, pull him into a hug and hold him until he understood. Oh, he so much more than liked that little boy. But he couldn't chase him, had no idea where the speedy child would've gone. So he went to his husband.

His ear was being chatted off by Apple, the little girl being spun around on his back, but when the chattering faded when she noticed him, he had to clear his throat and look away. Pinky gave the girl a nuzzle, lifting her from his back. "Uh-oh, Apple-dee-app, I think Auntie Jingle Bells and Antsy Nancy want to play now."

"'Kay, grandma. Um. Feel better, grandpa! I love you!"

He loved her too. He loved all three of his grandchildren. Swallowing, he rubbed his hands together and clung to his husband the moment he was lifted. "You're all sad, Brain." And shaky. Pinky rocked his chubby hubby, nuzzling him until the tremblies went away. And then rubbed their noses together. Sad was always the worst thing for his grumpy-growly Brain. He didn't know how to be sad properly.

"Jack doesn't think I love him," he said quietly and Pinky smiled brightly, twirling his hubby with a laugh.

"Oh, fiddly-posh, Brain! You love Jack-in-the-box lots and lots!"

"I know that, Pinky." His ears fell, his eyes blinking in the rapid way that meant imminent tears. But his special little grandson had ignited fears Brain worked very hard to keep dormant. "But he just asked me why I don't like him."

"Oh, Brain, it's okay." Pinky stopped his twirling, replacing it with loving nuzzles because he didn't like to see those pretty pink eyes wet and sad. "He's just all con-fused."

But why? Brain wanted to ask, but his lips were claimed and the question slipped away.

It nagged at him the rest of the day, though, until the boy returned with an apology and the shyest of requests for a hug that his grandpa gratefully returned.

Whatever the boy's reasons, he didn't want to give him cause to doubt again. The child needed the words, and he would get them. This quiet, precious little thing. "Don't ever think that again, Jack." He gave him a gentle nuzzle, gearing himself up for the words that were still so hard for him to say. "I love you."

068. Energetic (303)

He'd already met the mother, but had thus far only caught a glimpse or two of the little girl. She looked nothing like the older mouse, her fur a patchy black and white and the mother's cinnamon with a white band about her waist. Her eyes were a big, wide blue and her mother's a deep golden. The only real sign that they were mother and daughter was that Autumn had said she lived with her baby.

But the little thing had been avoiding him so far, managing until he was heading towards the water bottle and she away from it. There was a standoff, silence hanging heavily between them. And then the little two month old opened her mouth and everything changed.

"Hi! Mommy said you're nice an' 'at's good 'cause not a lot o' stran'ers are nice. An' the last mousey who came wasn' ver' nice, so i's good 'at you're nice. An' we have a bed, but i's no' ver' big. Um. You can share if you want 'cause it ge's all cold at nigh', but 'at's 'cause the human big person doesn' like hot-hot-hot so we hafta snuggle. Bu' we don' snuggle if you're mean, but mommy says you're nice. An' I hope you're nice 'cause you look nice 'cept you also kinda look grumpy too, but 'at's okay if mommy says you're nice. P'ease be nice 'cause mean peoples are ver' mean." She took a breath then, and only then. Even her "um" hadn't been a pause so much as a way to fill up any pesky silence. But then she wrung her tail in her hands and ran off on unsteady legs to hide in a cardboard tube.

Cyan was left standing in the center of the cage, completely caught off guard. And, for once, effectively silenced.

069. Noble (548)

Brie hadn't been to the field since her home had been taken by field mice who'd deemed her unthreatening after her accidental gene splicing. But now it was possible that her niece had run off to them. It was a long walk, though, and she was beginning to doubt it. The little girl's legs were so short... They had to try, though. Because her legs _were_ short. All of her was; she was just so little.

The mouse beside her wrapped an arm around her waist, making her jolt. "Shh, Brie. She's fine. Cici's smart."

"I know. Don't be a putz," she muttered, rubbing her hands together and trying to ignore his arm. It was making her feel better. She couldn't feel better; they were going into the field with all those big, feral mice. She swallowed uncomfortably and led Leuk out of the city and into the grass. He'd never been out of the lab before besides the times where she'd gone on walks with him.

Or that trip to the zoo a month and a half back where Brain had finally taken a day off. They'd all gone and he'd grumped and scowled, but Cici had had so much fun. She'd called them mommy and daddy all day and Brain hadn't corrected her. And now that shmuk had driven her away, because she knew it hadn't been Pinky.

Leuk sighed, giving her a squeeze to keep that fearful look out of her eyes. The worry was alright and understandable, but the fear was something different, a little more wild. "Calm down."

"I'm calm," she grumbled, lips sliding into a pout. "Totally calm. I'm not a baby. Putz."

He looked down at her, but said nothing. Her pout said enough, but the flash of annoyance in her eyes was welcome. The mouse that took a swipe at them, though, was not. Brie started to tug at him immediately, but Leuk moved in front of her and growled. He had a lithe build, but his dark fur puffed and his eyes glittered, making him seem bigger. He wandered through with her like that, searching for her niece and snarling and growling at every single one that tried to come closer. And he kept a tight hold on Brie, keeping her safe and close until they could leave the field again.

Then he smoothed his fur down and gave her a warm smile. "Let's check back at the lab and see if your brothers have found her." Pinky may as well have been her brother, anyway. But she was staring at him with wide eyes, so he cocked his head to the side. "What?"

"You..." He'd gotten swiped at, growled at, had teeth bared at him and had nearly been bitten at one point. But he'd made sure they searched the whole area, searching for a little girl who wasn't even his family. The heart she'd been trying so hard to keep to herself trembled and slipped from her grasp, and she jumped him. Legs banding around his waist, arms locked around his neck, she crushed their lips together. She hadn't expected the shaggy mouse she'd helped months before to have such a noble streak; it lost her to him.

He held right back and smiled into the kiss.

070. Disgust (251)

He truly hadn't meant to, but it was so very difficult to avoid. The boy was just so stubborn and foolish. He didn't understand anything! He was a thorn in The Brain's side, constantly digging himself deeper. He didn't even understand the few moments where Brain tried to be nice to him, and today had certainly been one of those days. Those were the ones he shouted the loudest, after all.

Honestly, he'd just been attempting to make a suggestion concerning Neo's behavior. The boy reminded him so much of Cyan when he'd been that age, but the prickly idiot had taken his words and twisted them. And, yes, perhaps The Brain had worded things... poorly, but his family knew him well enough to understand.

So it was difficult to think of the stubborn idiot as family when he didn't understand. And weren't Brain's attempts just his way of trying to let the fool know he was part of the family? Each time he was rebuffed it was an attack against his heart, igniting his fears, and leaving him no real choice but to lash out.

He just hadn't meant to put his baby snow mouse in the crosshairs. He opened his eyes slowly, disgusted with himself for making his little girl run off in tears, and stood. The only way to get rid of the sour taste in his mouth was to go and make sure she was alright.

And maybe one day, her idiot of a husband would understand.

* * *

Next time:

Lively, Power, Pity, Humiliation, Satisfied


	15. 71, 75

I love Lively. Someone had reminded me of The Visit, wherein Brain says that they're going to meet his parents for Thanksgiving. But Brain can't stand his parents, so I thought they should go to the Macy's Thanksgiving parade instead! And then skimmingsurfaces and I decided that Pumpkin was going to be born on Thanksgiving, so... Yep. XD

Power pleases me~

And Pity :heart: Rodoric is Feta's (Brain's blind nephew) son. Feta goes blind before Rodoric is cloned (born?)

And HUMILIATION! *dies* I love it. Such much cuteness.

Then the last one, Satisfied. Bleu, Brain's niece, ends up moving to New York to work in the fashion industry. The doublespeak I mention there is from a particular episode~ As usual, bonus points for guessing which! lol

* * *

071. Lively (760)

Autumn bounced towards their seats, or tried. She was far too round to do much more than waddle and Cyan was holding her rather close. But this was all so exciting! Or fun-fun silly-willy as she'd grown fond of saying since her scowly hubby had taken her and her baby girl home with him. And now they were having their own baby! She hugged her tummy, nuzzling Cyan until his scowl was joined by blushes. She giggled, placing kisses to either warm cheek. So cute, yes he was.

She heard another giggle, looked over at her little girl and waved. Apple waved back with the hand not holding grandpa's, who kept glancing at his oldest daughter with a small scowl. She wasn't letting him hold her baby, but Neo was fussy. He had the prettiest blue eyes, though, and they were brand new! Oh, how lucky for him that one of the first things his baby eyes would get to see was a parade!

The family settled in a high booth, facing the performances at the best possible angle for a group of mice. Autumn snuggled nice and close to her hubby, beaming when he draped the blanket over their laps for extra warmth. Apple wanted to sit with her grandparents, was only a little sad when Jack stayed in the middle of his own parents instead of coming to visit. Auntie Bella snuggled against her daddy's side, holding baby Nancy close enough to be waved at.

There were other family members there too and Autumn was rather fond of watching Feta snuggled close to his doctor beneath their own little blanket. His giggles were as cute as Theodore's light blushes and shy nose rubs.

She lifted her head, nudging her nose to Cyan's cheek until he granted her her own nose rub. She wriggled in place, pausing when she felt a twinge in her belly. It was low and it was familiar as she'd gone through it once already. Oh, how lovely! Her new baby wanted to come see the parade too, but she rubbed soothing circles above the bump. The new baby wouldn't have eyes for two whole weeks, needed everything nice and dark and not bright until then. Silly thing couldn't watch the parade if she came out now.

"Baby baby," she sing-songed quietly and giggled when her scowly hubby laid a hand over hers on the bump. She leaned against him with a bright smile that only grew as the parade went on. So much dancing and singing and loud music and _balloons_! They were the biggest things she'd ever seen and hearing Apple's amazed gasp made her even happier. Cyan had given her magic which was wonderful, but she loved him even more for sharing the magic with her first baby baby.

The other one, the one in her belly, continued to be difficult throughout the parade and she mentally scolded the impatient little girl. _Wait for Santa_. Because Pinky, who she happily called mummy, had told her all about Santa. He came at the very end in his big old sleigh. And only then could they go home, so baby had to wait.

She pressed her hands to her cheeks, eyes big and bright when Santa finally did come and then threw her arms around her scowly hubby for an exuberant kiss. "Okay, we have to go home now! _Snork_. The baby needs the nest I built so she can be happy and safe."

He stuttered quite a bit, which was silly-willy and cute. And then Brain joined the stuttering when he realized what was going on, but the women in the family (and Pinky) knew just what to do. They were at Bleu's apartment with just enough time to get everything nice and dark. It was a little bit disappointing that her second little girl couldn't be born in her nest, but the moment she heard those squeaky cries, it didn't matter where she was born. She was tiny and pink and beautiful!

"Pumpkin!" she chirped, pressing her cheek to the top of the baby's head as she batted her lashes at her hubby. They were very important for Thanksgiving, she'd realized. There'd been quite a few in the parade, and when Pinky cheered, "Pumpkin pie!" she knew even more that it was perfect.

Cyan sighed, petting both her and their newborn. He couldn't refuse the bright gaze and his arms already ached to hold his daughter. Besides, mummy called the older girl "Apple pie" and he liked the symmetry. "Pumpkin," he agreed.

072. Power (148)

He had all the power in the world. He owned it, ruled it, could do whatever he liked! There wasn't a single creature on this planet who could ever tell him what to do, and there wasn't a single one he ever needed to listen to. Everything was on his terms, and after almost three years of consistent, nightly failure to attain this control, it was thrilling to have it. He was the emperor and his best friend and husband was second-in-command.

And currently very much in control of the proud ruler. Brain just couldn't help it, didn't think to once those hips started to sway. He'd put on the grass skirt and the lei, remnants from their first honeymoon, and was humming a tune all his own.

When he smiled, his slim hips swaying in a circle, the emperor squeaked his need and gave up his power.

073. Pity (188)

It took Rodoric a little while to figure out that something was different about his papa. He played and cuddled, laughed and spoke like anyone else. He walked through the halls as though he knew where he was going and was able to navigate the rooms with ease. So it took the little boy some time to notice that papa never looked right at him. In his direction, yes, but never at him. And papa never looked at the pictures he drew.

When he finally asked why, because he was particularly proud of this picture and papa wasn't _looking_ at it, papa looked just above his head and explained that he was blind. He didn't look at the picture because he couldn't. Rodoric felt bad then. His poor papa had broken eyes.

It didn't take him long to get rid of the pity, to remember what it was like to not realize that his papa was different. He still played and navigated like normal... and he couldn't get away with sneaking by him past bedtime. His papa may have been blind, but he still saw a whole lot.

074. Humiliation (352)

This wasn't his job, it was Pinky's. His job was to educate and discipline since Pinky could do neither properly. His husband's job was to play and to coddle, yet here he was. It was their first plan since the twins had been created, their eyes open and their worlds expanded. But neither parent wanted to leave the lab for an entire night, so that night's plan required staying inside. It also required a trip to the store that the megalomaniacal father hadn't wanted to take at the risk of his wayward husband ruining the machine the plan necessitated.

He was now regretting the decision to allow Cici to go along with him, but the girl had been cooped up with her new siblings for over two weeks by that point and she could be trusted at the store. She'd certainly be helpful in preventing Pinky from buying too many frivolous items.

He scowled deeply when he felt two little hands on the top of his head. It was just going to lead to two little feet and, yes, Bella was sitting on his head again. "Cerebellum, you are clearly a demonic creature sent here to torment me."

She took the grumpy words to be a compliment, the baby stretched out and rubbed her cheek enthusiastically against the top of his head while she squeaked nonsense at him. He knew the tones were happy, but couldn't decipher them besides. He sighed, started to reach up to pluck her off of him, but her twin finally crawled over. He bumped his nose to his father's, squeaking grumpily, and Brain's heart melted.

It may have been nothing short of humiliating, a mouse of his intellect relegated to lying on the floor with babies crawling on him, but he wouldn't change it. Especially not when a light tickle made the irritable boy squeal with squeaky laughter and flop to the side. He went back to being grumpy right after, but the sound remained in his memory and Bella climbed down his face for her own tickles. The Brain was quietly happy to oblige.

Mortifying children.

075. Satisfied (116)

It was difficult work. More difficult than she'd been expecting it to be and, honestly, she hadn't been expecting it to be easy. But the things these magazines expected her to say - square and yet round, big and yet small - were ridiculous! What did any of that junk mean? It was stupid and infuriating. And she was talented, darn it! They should just appreciate that without her having to pander to the lowest common denominator.

Stubborn, the emperor's only niece kept her pride and spoke her mind. It was harder than the pandering would have been, but nothing could top the satisfaction Bleu felt when it was her designs being worn down the runway.

* * *

Next time:

Thankful, Hyper, Goosebumps, Worthless, Remorse


	16. 76, 80

More Feta! :D Also Sherlock, Bay & Pinny, Apple, and the Brie's triplets!

Lots and lots of family members here, lol

* * *

076. Thankful (437)

Teddy wanted a boy. Feta ran his fingers over his cane nervously, waiting outside the room Uncle Brain had used as his classroom since building the castle. His little second-cousins spilled out, Neo leading the pack at a run and ignoring his older brother's voice, telling him to slow down.

His lips twitched, picking them out by sound and scent rather than sight. He'd finally lost that ability two months before, which had been more of a relief than he thought he could ever explain to his family. When Pumpkin finally skipped passed, always last to leave, his nerves spiked and his grip on the cane tightened. His uncle had done so much for him throughout his life - how could he ask for more?

But Teddy wanted a boy, had let it slip the night before when they'd been cuddled together in their bed. And Feta had wanted a baby even before Cici had given birth to her oldest. So he just had to ask, just had to risk it.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice his uncle until his name was said. "Feta?"

He jolted a little, his blink automatic if useless. "Uncle Brain! Hi. I was-" He cleared his throat. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Of course. Come. There's a dignitary from Russia eating dinner with us tonight and I have to locate Pinky in order to go over the rules."

"Again?" he asked, lips curving into an easy smile. Uncle Pinky needed refreshers like that pretty consistently.

"Again," the emperor grumbled. "Now what did you want?"

He took a deep breath, expelled it slowly. "A baby," he said quietly and felt his uncle still beside him. It was only for a moment, but his ears still started to fall through the long beat of silence that followed as they continued down the hall.

"You and Theodore have discussed it? I can't just remove his DNA without consent," Brain grumbled, and Feta's tail began to wag behind him, ears perking again.

"We did, yes. Last night. He wants a boy."

Brain gave him a pat, his hand lingering on his nephew's side for a moment. "I've only ever used the cloning machine for Pinky and I, so I'll have to run some calibrations and such. If I have time after dealing with Pinky, I'll begin then. Select a day, Feta, and you and Theodore will have your son."

Feta dragged him in for a tight hug, tail wagging wildly behind him, and couldn't imagine how he would ever thank his uncle enough for helping him start his family.

077. Hyper (137)

The moment Sherlock opened his eyes, The Brain knew. And he smiled. It was a small, private smile, but it was one nonetheless. He'd seen those eyes far too often not to know what was in them. He'd married the origin of those eyes, created the little girl who'd carried them on, and now he was the grandfather of the third generation. He loved those eyes.

He looked into those eyes again, a few months later, and they were behind a bright yellow mask. Mini-Mouseketeer had been born again, and was as virile and rambunctious as the first had been. He sproinged, he swoomed, he saluted and said, "Don't worry, Citizen!" He drove Brain absolutely crazy.

And he made the emperor hopeful that the next generation would have a blue-eyed, hyperactive scoundrel to deal with as well.

078. Goosebumps (213)

It was silly, really. Her parents had been gone for just over two years now and reincarnation was on the fantastic side. While more fanciful than her younger brother, even Cici didn't lean quite that far. It was just... impossible. Perhaps wishful thinking, or some bizarre form of it.

But, still, when she would hear a "_Narf!_" from the playroom, her ears would perk and she'd think, just for a moment, that her mommy-daddy was in there being ridiculous. But it wasn't, it was little Pinny. Thankfully, there had been enough generations of blue-eyed white mice in a row that it was simpler to brush Pinny off as her imagination overworking itself.

It was when the pink ones landed on her that things became more difficult. There were so many pink eyes, her own brother owned a pair. But these were sharper and there was something just out of her comprehension hidden away in them, hidden in his larger-than-average head and the chubby little body.

"Pinny!" she heard, the grumpy voice carrying across the breakfast table. She looked over, saw him holding a piece of a newspaper. "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

"I think so, Bay, but shouldn't matchboxes all look alike?" his buck-toothed friend replied. And Cici realized she had goosebumps.

079. Worthless (370)

Her mommy said to ignore him. She said that the big mouse in the cage beside theirs wasn't a mouse at all, but something called a rat. Rat sounded mean and made her stomach clench every time his super long tail came into view when he left the little house the human owner of the petshop had given him for good behavior. She and her mommy behaved and they had to share a cardboard tube.

Her mommy said it was because the human was confused. The big mouse-rat said it was because the human hated her for talking too much. Just like her daddy had. The little girl didn't remember her daddy and her mommy was never any help on the subject, just shaking her head and saying they didn't need him anymore. He'd given her the greatest gift in baby form and then he'd gone away.

But mommy never said why. The mouse-rat always said why. She talked too much. She was annoying. She made everyone leave and the only reason her mommy hadn't left her was because she was too stupid to know how. And the girl tried to defend her parent; she tried really hard. But her tongue would get tangled and then the tears would start because she felt like nothing. Like she was worth nothing and should just go curl up in a corner forever and ever.

He made her feel like that once when the new mouse came into their cage. He was as tall as mommy, but white-furred with very intense pink eyes. And he never once made her feel like she was worth nothing.

But when the mouse-rat did just that, the tears streaming down her face, she started to run backwards, but ran into something solid. She looked up, watching those intense eyes narrow. And he used a funny triangle stick and a chunk of food pellet to show the mouse-rat who was boss, the food pellet bouncing between his eyes and making him fall all funny.

Then he picked her up and grumpily soothed her tears. He didn't mind that she talked. He didn't think she was annoying. She mattered to him, he said, and she no longer felt worthless.

080. Remorse (488)

It wasn't a pleasant feeling, knowing she'd done wrong. It was worse because her pride hated admitting when she was, and she was so used to being pithy to her brother that such things shouldn't bother her. But they'd finally started getting along, Bleu finding her military-minded brother... interesting. He'd once been just a thorn in her side, something she had to be better than in every way. She was the only girl, after all, even though Feta wasn't exactly the competitive type. Something about Gene had always just rubbed her the wrong way.

But not lately. So the petty snap when he'd told her to relax, her telling him that stupid military books didn't teach him a thing about pregnancy and a few other rude words that could've gone unsaid, made her ache. She wasn't used to it when it came to Gene, so it took her until her husband gave her a nudge for her to make her way to the library.

She stepped on the little elevator, rubbing her belly as the boys inside kicked. She'd take that relax advice now, but she had something to do first. "Hey, Lieutenant."

"Not a lieutenant yet," was the short response, her brother not looking up from his book. Her other one was nearby, an ear winging up at her voice, but he wisely held his tongue. She scowled at him anyway even though he couldn't see her.

"I know, but Chief Warrant Officer 5 is too long and annoying to say." She didn't get a response that time, so shifted her weight and hugged her rounded belly. "Look, I'm sorry. Okay?"

Dark eyes finally flicked up, settling first on her stomach before lifting to meet her gaze. "It's just hormones; it's fine."

Her eyes rolled. "It's not just hormones. You can't blame every single argument we've ever had on them. I mean, this whole pregnancy thing's only been going on three weeks."

"So you've got one more week to blame it on hormones." He finally grinned at her and her feelings of remorse faded to relief. "Enjoy it while you have it, sis."

"Y'know what I'd like to enjoy? The ability to sit without needing help." He was up immediately, and she tried not to grin when he helped settle her down, hooking an arm around her waist to keep her braced. "Don't you let me get used to all this pampering stuff. I might start expecting it."

"Don't let me get used to you apologizing," Gene replied and pressed a kiss to her brow.

Feta pushed his book over, settling at her other side so she had both to lean against. "Don't worry. Everything'll be back to normal eventually." He patted her stomach, somehow locating where the twins were most active on his first try. "Then you can both be brats again."

Bleu laughed, far more comfortable now than she had been on the way there.

* * *

Next time:

Degraded, Revenge, Fulfilled, Shame, Graceful


	17. 81, 85

Degraded! For those of you who have read _Pinky's Baby_, hopefully you get a kick out of that one, lol. It's a miniature prequel! :heart:

Then it goes back into our regular OC-Verse with Billie. Ugh. Her son, Terry, ends up marrying Bella! So yay!

Graceful is someone who only appears in 85. His name's Nikon (or Nik) and he's a fashion photographer who works in New York with Bleu. He's loved her for months, but hasn't worked up the nerve to tell her. And she has no idea :heart:

* * *

081. Degraded (822)

The Brain may not have been part of the experimental section of the lab, but that didn't mean he was unfamiliar with being experimented on. The nicotine addiction he still occasionally battled with was proof enough of that. He was used to being plucked up by the insufferable humans, therefore, and carted to wherever they liked him to be. How cooperative he was depended on what he was faced with, however, which was why he'd ended up attached to a machine during the cigarette experiments.

He hadn't expected the cold tray on this particular day, his ears falling and a scowl forming immediately. The small mouse started to struggle, nearly prepared to bare his teeth and sink them into the nearest finger, but his lower half was suddenly encased in something metallic that made him still. Startled, he looked about for a way to escape.

Just when he'd found it, the vibrations started. The chubby mouse gasped and began to writhe in earnest. This was- They were- To borrow from his cagemate, egad. He never indulged in things like this, his mind typically geared towards his world domination schemes. Once, when he'd been younger, he had. But he'd very nearly been caught by his cagemate. The thought of being caught, at the time, had heightened his arousal and brought him to completion. Since then, his prudish nature had kept those baser impulses at bay.

And he would absolutely not allow these humans to disrupt that. Brain squeezed his eyes shut as the vibrations increased, his body unable to cope with the pleasurable assault. He bit his lip, turning to press his cheek against the cold metal tray he'd been placed on, and tried to think of things he despised. Failure, getting squished, Snowball, stupidity - stupidity! Yes, of course. He lived with stupidity. Irritating, wasteful, ridiculous stupidity. The imbecilic moron without a single sensible thought in his head.

He pictured the blue-eyed lanky mouse, felt a jolt that went directly between his legs. His eyes flew open on a startled noise that quickly mangled itself into a moan. No, no. He couldn't be attracted to his cagemate. He was stupid, irritating, frivolous. He'd spent their life savings to purchase the Brooklyn Bridge for him! For _him_ because he'd been trying so hard to get it when they'd gone back to Brooklyn's past.

He may have been stupid, but he was unbearably sweet and Brain's back was arching before he could stop it. The vibrations had picked up and all he could think of was Pinky. The way he danced, the way he always did his best to keep Brain's spirits up, the way he was constantly by his side, those blue, blue eyes that were so big and sparkly. He was so beautiful and Brain was so close. He'd forgotten all about this being an experiment, his mind slipping and spiralling away and surrounding itself in thoughts of Pinky. Beautiful, perfect Pinky. And the way he looked in his dresses-

Brain came hard and long, latching onto his own ears and squeaking his cagemate's name as his hips bucked wildly.

And then, still trembling and lost in the aftershocks, they unhooked him from the machine that had collected his seed and deposited him back into his cage, which he soon discovered Pinky was absent from. Grateful, he collapsed onto their bed and just breathed in their combined scents until his system settled.

This never had to come up again, he decided. It never had to be mentioned. The fact that thinking of his best friend had heightened his arousal and led him to his release didn't have to affect their working relationship. It could be explored after they took over the world. Assuming this bizarre attraction remained. It was likely that it wouldn't. It was likely that this had been a fluke.

He considered, performing a little experiment of his own. He scooted onto Pinky's side of the bed, breathed in his scent and pictured the lanky mouse beneath him, writhing, moving, those bright eyes dark with passion. The jump in his belly, the heat rising to his face disproved his hypothesis. If it wasn't going to go away then it just needed to be managed. Yes.

Later, when Pinky was deposited back into their cage a little dazed and wild-eyed, Brain left the taller mouse to himself. His experience earlier had been too degrading, too mortifying to discuss with his sidekick. And the attraction was still too fresh in his mind for him to face his companion with anything less than the desire to touch. By that night, the two of them were back to taking over the world and the experiments of the day forgotten - or at least pushed to the backs of their minds.

Until, of course, Pinky was discovered to be pregnant a couple of weeks later and the reasons behind the mortifying day came to light.

082. Revenge (666)

Something in her mind had twisted everything to be all Brain's fault. And why shouldn't it be? She'd been perfectly happy until the day she'd met him in that maze, been content until she'd seen Pinky and fallen hard for him. Such a sweet guy with that big old heart that would've made him the perfect father to all the babies she'd wanted to have with him. And with her enhanced mind and his soft heart, they would've been the most compassionate geniuses in the whole world.

Except by the time she'd met him, he'd already been under Brain's thumb so long that poor Pinky hadn't been able to do anything without the big-headed mouse's permission. He hadn't even known what to do when she'd kissed him. He hadn't kissed back, hadn't tried to hold her. He hadn't seen what she'd offered all because of The Brain.

It wasn't fair that he had Pinky. It wasn't fair that he got everything convoluted for the love of her life, making him think that he was a mom. He was a _boy_. Didn't they understand that that's not how things worked? Being gay was wrong. Having kids when you were gay was even more wrong. Not having kids with her was the worst. She'd been saddled with a dinky little boy with some genetically unaltered rodent. Hopped up on forced hormones, she'd been able to imagine that he was Pinky during the act, but when the boy had been born all pale with white patches like the mouse who'd fathered him, every bit of the illusion had faded. And the reality made her bitter.

The bitterness grew when Brain managed to take over the world, when he held hands with Pinky in public, their images splashed on the front page. Cute couple. Loving couple. Married with children. In love. Perfect couple. Seeing red, she would often tear the paper up and then have to go on her daily walk around the city, in front of the castle that stood where Acme Labs once had. The building where The Brain had ruined her life.

The bitterness grew, stewed within her, and bubbled over every time she caught her son watching one of his speeches. It was like he _listened_ to Egghead. So she started to feed him her memories, the truth from her distorted perspective. All the abusive bops, but none of the giggles that followed. All of the angry shouts, but none of the apologies and forgiveness that came later and none of the times where Pinky was the angry one. Freakish babies, clones and adoptions. The adopted one had come out of nowhere, the gerbils convinced Pinky had stolen the child and Brain had allowed it to give him a companion to distract him. Billie was inclined to believe them. She tried to incline her son to believe them, never noticing that she was furthering the wedge between her and the child she hadn't wanted.

Until it reached the point where she felt enough information had been imparted. Until she had a plan to disrupt Brain's rule. When he was no longer in power, Pinky would have no one to turn to. No one but her.

Oh, yes. Yeah. She'd get Eggy back for everything, for taking Pinky away and keeping him all for himself. She'd have babies, ones she actually wanted. Ones that looked like their father in a way that didn't make her want to gag.

She kicked her son out, booted him out the door with instructions to find evidence of the abuse. She knew it still happened. Egghead was too angry, too loud, too mean and callous to stop being violent. The kids were probably struck too. She had no doubt of it, none.

But it was her son who would confirm it, who would go find the evidence she needed to to take Egghead down, to get revenge for something her convoluted mind had warped and shaped into something it truly wasn't.

083. Fulfilled (253)

He didn't know why, but perhaps after years of nightly plans to take over the world, one built up certain ideals and standards for life after achieving said goal. The Brain's plan had been simple, 1) Take over the world and then 2) Rule the world. He'd had ideals within that spectrum, of course. Building a castle for his family, building monuments to his name...

And, yes, the castle happened and one or two statues had been erected in his honor. But nothing else had really happened. He'd expected more free time to spend with his family, yet often seemed to get less. He'd expected the humans to bow to his intellect and never question him, was often misunderstood when he spoke at his IQ level and his policies were often, if not always, questioned by someone.

But as he began to merge his expectations with reality and stopped comparing them, he realized that he preferred reality. He was eventually able to streamline his world leader duties, once everyone understood that their places in this new world order hadn't really changed. He was eventually able to spend more time with his family, granting them the wishes he'd so desired to grant whilst living in a cage.

Was ruling the world the height of perfection as he'd eventually come to believe it would be? No. Did the unexpected challenges fulfill his mind and spirit in a way he'd assumed the simplicity of his dreams would have? More than. And that was enough for him.

084. Shame (235)

His sardine tin held secrets. Special secrets that Brain wanted to keep forever and ever, but was too embarrassed to keep out in the open. There were countless drawings from the friend who had become his husband, there was a special drawing from his son, and there were several drawings from his daughter. There was the little card he'd unexpectedly gotten for Father's Day that had made him tear up after hugging the little girl for a long, long time. There was also a little world on a keychain, a Christmas gift from his then-friend that still made his heart swell.

Yet it also held a nasty sort of secret, the kind he tried to fight. But when the plan's weren't rolling properly, these kinds tended to surface. They were dangerous, too dangerous. He'd cut off his friend's leg once, a miracle of science the only thing to bring it back. He'd also nearly burned them both alive, nearly drowned his partner, had nearly gotten the entire world addicted to harmful cigarettes...

It was plans like these that were drawn only so they would leave his mind and make way for other plans, safer plans. It was plans like these that were scribbled in red and folded together. It was plans like these that were shoved in the tin, hidden amongst the special secrets as if to make them less cruel, less dangerous. Less shameful.

085. Graceful (201)

She wasn't particularly graceful. Not judging by the normal definition, anyway. And definitely not when compared to her blue-eyed cousin and uncle. Her cousin was shorter than her by the barest of margins and still managed to have more traditional grace in everything she did. It was probably because they were all curves and softness, whereas the girl he was gazing at was all sharp angles.

He lifted his camera, held it steady until the inevitable happened. She laughed. Her head fell back, the big hat floating towards the floor. He had the photograph snapped before it hit, took another when she just beamed at the blue-eyed creatures who'd made her laugh with their opinions on her latest design.

Only then did she catch sight of him, one brow arching as she marched towards him. He grinned, removing the memory card before she snatched his camera away from him, and thought that, no, she didn't have any of that traditional grace. But the way her legs ate up floor, the sassy swing of her hips - it held its own grace. And he had to admit that even though she'd probably never look at him twice, he loved her for it.

* * *

Next time:

Shining, Content, Feelings, Pleased, Relief


	18. 86, 90

Only 3 more! Sad. D:

88 gives me bad feels :c

But all the rest are okay!

* * *

086. Shining (395)

There were points that The Brain regretted ever making the suggestion. They were taking two weeks together to travel and... whatever else it was they were going to do. Brain preferred not to think of his daughter engaged in typical honeymoon activities, no matter that there were already two children to this marriage. The one that had come so close to breaking apart entirely.

When he reminded himself of that, it made him regret the suggestion that they take one a little less. But it never got rid of the worry. As those fourteen days ticked by, he stressed that it wouldn't be enough time to rekindle their love and passion for one another. It wouldn't be enough time away to satisfy his son-in-law. It _would_ be enough time for him to convince his baby that they should live anywhere but the castle.

He thought of all of these scenarios and more when their flight touched down. He had to keep a hold of Neo to keep the boy from shooting to the gate to tackle his parents, so used the proximity and the boy's excitement as an excuse to give him nuzzles. They were intended to soothe both of them, but managed in neither regard.

But then he saw the pair of them, heard his little girl's giggles, and his ears winged up even as Neo's did the same. Between his grandparents, Jack gasped and bounced up to his toes. "They're back, Brain! They're home!" His husband waved with all the exuberance Brain would expect from one of their grandchildren. "Hiii!" he called and hugged himself tightly when Cici waved back.

Brain set Neo down when his mother opened her arms, gave Jack a small nod to let him know it was alright, and the boys rushed to their parents. Neo began babbling about their own activities before he'd reached them, but neither parent seemed to mind.

As the reunited family made their way over, Brain sought out Pinky's hand and no longer regretted the suggestion. He could see it in their eyes, the way they kept looking at each other with shining, bright eyes. The family was together again and this time they would stay.

Brain offered his hand to the punk his baby had married and gave him a small smile, easily the first since he'd arrived in their lives. "Welcome home."

087. Content (198)

_"Don't make me separate you, boy!"_

The threat hung in his head sometimes, when the dreams of two tall mice with angry red dotting their pink eyes nagged at him. The two mice who ignored him and thought his dreams were foolish, who didn't understand that cloned children were still children. Who let him be stolen and left little ones behind.

He had them especially when he was a teenager, when he would want to shout and rage at his parents for being ridiculous and not understanding and all sorts of other foolish notions. He had a set of very understanding parents, a father who had never threatened and never raised his fist.

So when those dreams came and that threat hung over him, clouding his mind and shadowing his heart, he would go to his father and let himself be enveloped by a familiar scent that only loved and a warm, expansive frame that was nothing but gentle.

Bay would sit there for awhile, his presence and the hugs he reached for enough communication of the apology he knew was owed. And when every embrace was returned and every apology accepted, both he and Brain were soothed.

088. Feelings (217)

He was choked with them, eyes squeezed tightly shut as they flooded his heart and swarmed in his mind. They stuffed his lungs, holding him prisoner. He couldn't get out, couldn't get away. How could one flee their own emotions? He could flee the room, the little doctor's office he'd had converted from a guest room when the golden-eyed mouse in front of him had first arrived.

"I'm sorry. The serum you've been drinking has slowed it considerably and it'll continue to do so, but you've reached the point where there's no denying that it's there." There was a quiet breath. "And there's no getting rid of it completely."

Yes. Yes, he could flee the room. He could flee the quiet words from his nephew-in-law. But the diagnosis would hang in front of him nonetheless. He had an eidetic memory, after all. How could he possibly forget?

Oh. Oh, yes, of course. He lifted a hand to his mouth, biting back the hysterical laughter. Alzheimer's did have a way of erasing memories, eidetic or not. Soon he wouldn't even know this day had occurred.

The laughter became tears so abruptly that he couldn't stop them. His nephew-in-law rested a hand on his shoulder and walked out, leaving the emperor to his thoughts. And, worse, with his feelings.

089. Pleased (296)  
She stroked his head, giggling when he moved his chin from one movement to the other on her belly. "Cut it out, putz. They're not moving around in there just so you can tickle me with all your crazy."

He looked up, his nose nestled amongst the fur of her rounded belly, and smiled. She couldn't help but smile back. _They_. She had three babies squirming around in there. Brain had said two boys and a girl. Pinky had said he hoped the aliens in the picture Brain's machine had taken didn't hurt the babies. Both had made her laugh, but for entirely different reasons.

"We should name them," he purred and she wiggled as much as was possible for a small mouse carrying triplets. Names! Naming babies! Naming _her_ babies!

"Nothing stupid like... like Roman Numeral I or anything." As much as she loved her nephew, he had the worst name. The only one that could be as bad was Cerebral Cortex, but at least her poor niece had Cici as backup.

"I think we can do better than that," Leuk chuckled, crawling up to nestle his nose against her cheek instead. It made her laugh, and the way his hands rested on her belly made her heart tremble. "Gene."

"What about them?"

"No, I mean..." He rubbed soothing circles over her belly, one of the triplets deciding to kick and make their presence known. "Name one of the boys Gene."

That was so sciency and lame, and she opened her mouth to tell him so. But he looked so pleased with the choice, his dark eyes glittering and that smile still on his face. She had to smile back. Pinky would somehow make Gene less sciency and more adorable, so she nodded. "Gene works."

090. Relief (169)

He'd never felt more stressed than just before he'd knocked on that door, and now he'd never felt more relieved. It was over and it had worked out in his favor. So few things tended to, after all, though his luck seemed to have been changing bit by bit since his marriage to his partner.

He looked back at the paper in his hands, smoothing it out unnecessarily. But he just had to see the signatures again, feel the way it made his heart tremble. His daughter had asked him about this once, his response sending her on an escapade that had lasted an entire, exhausting night.

Afterwards, he'd created an official type of document and secreted it away. He'd been too embarrassed to show her at the time, but he'd show her this one. Because it wasn't just his and Pinky's signatures on a sheet of paper he'd typed up. There were two other signatures on this absolutely irrefutable document.

Cerebral Cortex, formerly Molly, had been officially adopted.

* * *

Next time:

I, Zest, Tears, Building, Optimistic


	19. 91, 95

My favorite out of this batch is "I"

Rosie's just adorable and Brain's the best grandpa ever :giggle:

* * *

091. I (376)

Brain settled the little white puffball in his lap, the stethoscope in his ears. He pressed the metal disc above her heart, poking lightly at her sides when she began to giggle to encourage more sounds. It was better, as he'd told everyone, if she had as much voice as possible. It was unlikely that she would ever be able to speak properly, and he certainly wasn't going to make that her only available means of communication, but the more noises she made, the better little Rosie would be.

He hugged her close as the squeaky giggles faded, returning to the original point of listening to her heart. Still strong and steady, though he wondered if he would ever feel as though she were out of the forest, as they said. He'd dealt with his daughter's sickness through the pregnancy and his granddaughter's after her birth and it was certainly in his nature to worry when it came to his family.

He adjusted her big pink bow when he was finished, a habit he'd picked up with her mother. She smiled and snuggled back against him, rendering the straightening moot. But he chose not to mind, cupping her tiny cheek instead so she would push and rub against it. The little barrette at the top of her head flopped as she nuzzled, so he unclipped it and fixed it, gathering a bit more of that tuft of fur atop her head so it would stay.

The baby's mother may have had a bright pink bow, but she'd never had a barrette. Brain rather liked the edition, the little spot of uniqueness on the baby who otherwise looked just like her mother. He wanted her to have that uniqueness, something beyond a lack of auditory function to set her apart. He wanted her to be an individual like the rest of his grandchildren and to let her slowly emerging personality shine.

When he lifted her up to gently rub their noses together, her grabby baby hands reached out, but didn't latch onto his ears as was typical with the babies in his family. She pressed her tiny palms to his cheeks, let out more squeaky giggles when he smiled warmly at her. She was already an individual.

092. Zest (460)

"Everything needs zest here and there," Rachel Ray had said, shaving a big lemon peel into her latest thirty-minute meal. Pinky'd been making his tea since Brain had a headache, and he may have used the juice of the lemon but he'd never seen anyone use the peel. But he'd stayed and watched Rachel on the television for a little while.

He'd decided not to alter the way he did his tea, but "zest" hung in his mind for a few days. Long enough that he forgot what it meant or where he'd heard it, actually. But if everything needed zest, he needed to find some!

Cici helped him look it up, his tail wagging delightedly as she read the second definition aloud to him. _An enjoyably exciting quality_. Egad! That was something familiar; he'd had Brain tell him he had that before. He twirled their daughter, thanked her with nuzzles, and went with her to the basement where she could play basement games with her auntie for the night, and then ran back upstairs.

He darted to his husband first, giggling happily. He ducked down, licked between his shoulder blades and felt the shiver against his tongue. "Pinky, what on earth are you doing? Cici-"

"She's downstairs, Brain! For the rest of the night!" he chirped and hugged himself, twirling and not hearing his husband point out that he was in the middle of his plans and he hadn't granted permission for these antics. He just ran off, excited for zest. The tiny blue dress he donned was in the back of his dress-up closet, hidden from Brain for just such an occasion. He twirled, making sure to keep his tail down. One little lift and Brain would be able to see everything. He giggled, clasping his hands together and crossing his legs where he stood.

He grabbed boa next, calming down enough to locate the brunette wig Brain favored and styled it. Nice and curly and bundled up atop his head. If he took out one pin, down the curls would tumble and they'd have saucy zest! The thought of it had him giggling again, but he controlled it enough to twirl back to Brain with minimal sounds and tail wagging.

"Brain?" he purred, but the smaller mouse didn't turn. Undeterred, Pinky draped an end of the big, blue feathered boa over his chubby hubby's head. He turned then, pretty pink eyes going wide as he took in the taller mouse's outfit. Pinky shimmied his hips excitedly. "Do you like my new dress, Brain?"

When Brain dropped his pencil, it was answer enough. But he followed it with a lovely kiss! And then even lovelier love things. After, Pinky's tail resumed its delighted wagging. The zest had worked!

093. Tears (175)

Bleu glared at her brother through her tears, scrubbing at her face to rid herself of them. She'd shed enough of them over the tall, strong, and heartbreaking model and had no interest in shedding anymore. Particularly not in front of the more insufferable of her brothers. Five and a half months away didn't change that, even though he'd been a stupid Specialist and now he was a stupid Sergeant Major. Besides that, tears just messed up her makeup.

"What do _you_ want?" she grumbled.

His hands slid out of his pockets and he didn't say anything for a minute, long enough that she started to fidget. But then he sighed and stepped closer, tugging her into a hug. "Anybody who'd let you go is an idiot. And my bratty sister doesn't cry over idiots. She cuts them down to size."

She buried her face into his chest, rewarding him with a watery laugh and soaked fur when she just started to cry anyway. But at least he wasn't as insufferable when she stepped back.

094. Building (239)

Basal Ganglia got along fairly well with all of his family. There were tiffs here and there, when someone would misunderstand his grumpy attitude for a non-loving one. But the misunderstandings didn't happen that often because Uncle Cyan was the same way.

The only real problem the big-headed, pink-eyed mouse ever really had was with his great-grandfather. He loved him, really, just as much as he loved anyone in his family. Well, almost anyone. But Pinny was different and Bay knew in his heart that he loved the buck-toothed nonsensical Pinnacle more than he could ever love anything else ever.

It was confusing, then, when his first instinct with Grandpa Colby was to push away or argue. It didn't matter how much he loved him, he just couldn't fight the instinct. It was something to do with the way he sometimes wanted to call Pinny "Pinky," he knew that, but he wanted it to stop. Because he knew it hurt Grandpa Colby's feelings and Bay hated doing that. And he hated that Grandma Cici would sometimes look hurt, too. He loved her so big it hurt sometimes.

It took some effort, but Bay eventually managed to go to his great-grandpa and crawl into his lap. He sought a hug in his own grumpy way and was satisfied with the one he received, especially since it felt like he was building upon a foundation that had been there long before.

095. Optimistic (183)

He wasn't the optimist of the relationship. That label could be put squarely on his husband's shoulders and was light as a feather on him, shining in his big blue eyes. It was in every motion of his body, that carefree spirit displaying absolute certainty that whatever happened, it was all going to be just fine!

So when that blue, blue gaze turned on him, wide and worried, when his long tail was being wrung between his hands in a manner that would be painful had his pain tolerance not been so high, he was given no choice. He had to take on the role, if only for a moment, in order to restore balance to their relationship.

"Pinky, don't display your IQ so freely. What few points you have may escape," he insulted with a scowl that started to perk the droopy ears and wag the long tail. "Of course everything's going to be fine. Don't be ridiculous."

"Right, Brain!" A salute and a happy giggle were all the signs he required to know that his husband's optimism had returned once again.

* * *

Next time:

Thrilled, Dealing, Reflect, Embarrassment, Death


	20. 96, 100

I've been putting off posting this last set, but eh. I just need to do it XD

The last one is my absolute favorite out of this entire list, and I hope, while bittersweet, you enjoy it as well

* * *

096. Thrilled (378)

Autumn's memories before the splicing were hazy, at best. Her memory of everything tended to be hazy, but life before being dropped onto a conveyor belt in the back of the pet shop was the hardest to remember.

If she tried really hard, she could remember her family. Her mommy and sisters and how they'd been sold off one by one. But she wasn't for sale, she knew that. She was special, the human had once said. It had made her preen and purr even then. She did take very good care of herself, keeping her cinnamon fur soft and shiny. There was a belt of white around her waist that she knew none of her family had had, so she kept that just as clean.

But the male had been a surprise. She hadn't known what to do with him at the time, the six month old mouse special in more than just her coloring. But then the oreo cookie mouse had pushed her down and-

Whatever protective shield was in her mind would always drop then, keeping her from remembering what had happened after the push, and they never picked up again until the male was gone from her cage. She remembered feeling the movement inside her, the growing of her belly until she looked as though she'd swallowed a golf ball.

She remembered the love so easily, squeaking soothingly to the baby in her because she could hear the responses so clearly in her head. She'd built a lovely nest like a responsible mommy and had been ready to curl up and bring the squeaky bundle into the world when she'd been set on the conveyor belt instead. That wasn't her nest, and it had been so confusing even after her head had gone fizzle-dizzle-wizzle-snork. _Snork_.

But then she'd been put back into her cage to hide away in her nest and there was absolutely nothing more thrilling than when the baby squeaked the first time. Autumn gasped, resting her nose to her daughter's. "Don't worry, baby-baby. I'm your mommy and I'll be with you for always."

She brushed her lips against the familiarly shaped head and giggled softly, curling around the little girl so she could have her first meal. "I love you, Apple."

097. Dealing (444)

He knew something was wrong. Pinny was... Well, Pinny was _his_ boyfriend. Of course he knew something was wrong. There were times when he would stumble and Bay knew, he just knew, that Pinny wasn't supposed to stumble. He wasn't growing properly either, the deja vu that often tried so hard to make itself known arguing against what his eyes were seeing.

But it wasn't until he listened in to a conversation between Rodoric and Theodore that he discovered exactly what the problem was and he had to hide in one of the passageways clutching his heart while the voice ranted in his head. It was his voice, but it was older. _No! No! Everything was perfect. The timing was perfect. We were pondering the same thing; we have to be together. I have to be with him!_

There was a possibility, a strong one, that this wouldn't be fixed with surgery. It was possible that he would never wake up, and then what? They couldn't grow old together that way, and they were supposed to. They needed to. Pinky couldn't be on his own! And, if Bay bothered to think on it, he knew he couldn't be alone either.

He didn't discuss it with Pinny, allowing the older family members to explain the situation even though he knew he could get Pinny to listen better than any of them. He didn't want to explain, didn't want to make the worst of possibilities possible. And the older him that lived inside was frantic, had never been faced with something like this before, so both were left floundering.

Until the day Pinny was going to leave with Rodoric and Tucker. He swallowed hard, packed a bag as they'd be there quite a while if everything went right, and was waiting at the door, his chin lifted as if daring the two adults to argue. Pinny wasn't going without him and that was that. The argument that followed, because Tucker was adept at making things difficult, ended with Bay grabbing Pinny's hand and leading him to the car. He'd take him alone if he had to and Rodoric could catch up, he decided, and felt no small amount of satisfaction when both adults got into the vehicle after them without further argument.

He may not have known how to deal with the diagnosis and the thought of losing the one thing in life he needed above anything else, but he knew where he was needed. And he was needed by Pinny's side, soothing him through every step that followed, and being the first thing his friend saw when those blue, bleary eyes opened after his surgery.

098. Reflect (179)

An old mouse. Graying fur, slightly drooped ears because he didn't have the strength to hold them up all the way any longer. Little spectacles that made him appear distinguished, perched on a red button nose that allowed pink eyes to see. They looked rather dull, slightly blank. Confused, the more he gazed into them.

So he moved on. A large head. It must've held a massive mind, riddled with intense ponderings and plans. The body was on the chubby side, though it was slowly slimming. He often forgot to eat unless he was told, but the mouse didn't know that.

Frowning lips slowly curved, a trembling hand lifting slowly off of a wooden cane. And he waved. "Hi," he said quietly, and soon turned away to go and find something new to do. Maybe color. He did like to color even if Snowball thought it was a waste of time.

He had no idea that the aged mouse he'd greeted was himself, a reflection in a mirror he'd passed by chance. And he soon forgot the encounter anyway.

099. Embarrassment (218)

"Daddy?" Brain looked up at the voice, lifting a brow as his youngest daughter flitted into the room. She climbed onto his desk and bounced over, throwing her arms around him even though he was in the middle of a video conference with a dignitary from Istanbul.

With a quiet sigh, the emperor patted his daughter's back and slowly eased out of the embrace. "Hello, Cerebellum. Do you require something?"

"Yes!" she chirped, clapping her hands together and lacing the fingers. "I have a very, very important question! _Zort_!"

"Ah. Can it wait a few more minutes? I'm working, Bella."

Her ears wilted a little and the representative waved a hand from where he sat behind his own desk an ocean away. "Emperor, I have daughters as well. Please, take her question. It is fine."

He hadn't asked permission, his fur bristling a bit. He was the emperor. If he wanted to take the question, he would. And now, thanks to the baboon, he had no choice. Bella's eyes had brightened and he couldn't refuse that blue gaze. "Alright, Cerebellum, what is it?"

"I need to know something important about love things." When he keeled over, red from the tips of his ears to his toes, Bella cocked her head to the side and wondered what was wrong.

100. Death (536)

Brain sighed quietly, snuggled in his husband's lap as they watched the goings-on together. Pinky's chin was nestled contentedly on his chubby big chubby head, his tail swishing behind him. "Oh, Brain! See? We have such a big family!"

"Yes, Pinky, I see them." And it panged his heart that he hadn't been able to appreciate them properly the past few months. He'd even missed a birth, though he smiled in fondness at the white and yellow mouse now. This great-granddaughter would take over the world someday; Brain knew it as simply as he did his own name. It was just there, which was fascinating. He'd always had to work for knowledge before, reading and researching. But now he only had to research if he wanted to, knowledge of anything just there if he wanted it. He knew it was the same for his husband, but darling Pinky never had wanted anything beyond simple pleasures.

He tilted his head back, granted one of those simple pleasures, and received a warm kiss for his smile. Another thing he'd missed over the months of his mind slipping away, an incurable disease rotting him from the inside. At least his son and nephew-in-law were on the verge of a breakthrough. It would take his great-nephew's input, and it was so very difficult not to reach down and give him that nudge. But it would come in time, just a little bit more of it. They were so smart. He'd done even better than he could've hoped, leading their family and shaping the world into something they would be happy in.

If only his baby would be happy. "Oh, Brain," Pinky sighed, "she's sad again."

"I know, Pinky." Together they watched their oldest daughter standing in front of the two flower bushes which marked their graves. Ballerina roses and globe amaranths, so close their stems tangled in ways that should've been detrimental to them both, but Brain suspected that their continued existence was one of Pinky's simple pleasures.

She fiddled with her scarf, gazing at the flower bushes with damp eyes, and Brain sighed. This, he had no qualms over giving a small nudge. The boy needed it sometimes and, really, it was entertaining to be able to subtly boss around the punk who had once caused him so much trouble.

Pinky giggled, nuzzling his ear while Colby reached out and tugged his wife close, murmuring something to her that had a smile replacing the tears. "Brain, that's cheating."

"Well, what fun is this if I'm unable to cheat now and again? I want my children to be happy. Even without you and I there with them."

"Me too, Brain." Pinky gave him another kiss, his entire body wiggling excitedly. It was so nice to have found Brain again! If he'd known Mr. Hals-Timers had been bringing his chubby-hubby love to this place, he wouldn't have spent the past few months being so sad! "Want to play hopscotch?"

"You play hopscotch." Brain gave his companion a fond pat. "I'll watch."

"But that's no fun, Brain!" He pressed their noses together, purring as another smile spread across his lover's features.

"But that's where you're wrong, my dear. Watching is plenty fun."


End file.
